吃土 chītǔ

Posted on by tiffany

吃土

Chitu

吃土 · Chītǔ
In one line
Literally “eating dirt” — a humorous way to describe being completely broke or living on an extremely tight budget.
Definition

动词短语 VERB PHRASE

Literally meaning “to eat dirt,” this popular internet slang is used when someone is so financially broke that they can’t even afford food and supposedly have to resort to eating dirt instead.

Of course, nobody is actually eating dirt! It’s a playful, self-deprecating exaggeration used to describe tight finances, especially near the end of the month before payday.

You will frequently hear phrases like 我要吃土了 (Wǒ yào chītǔ le, “I’m going to have to eat dirt”).

Examples

例句

我wǒ买mǎi完wán机票jīpiào，这个zhège月yuè就jiù得děi吃土chītǔ了le。
After buying the plane ticket, I’ll have to eat dirt for the rest of the month.
你nǐ还hái可以kěyǐ吃chī虾xiā，哪像nǎxiàng我wǒ每个měige月yuè都dōu在zài吃土chītǔ
You can still afford to eat shrimp, unlike me who has to eat dirt every month.
不能bùnéng再zài买mǎi了le！否则fǒuzé就jiù要yào吃土chītǔ了le。
I need to stop shopping, otherwise I’ll have to eat dirt!
Dialogue

对话

A
欸ěi！你nǐ今天jīntiān晚上wǎnshàng要不要yàobúyào一起yìqǐ去qù吃chī火锅huǒguō？
Hey! Do you want to go eat hotpot together tonight?
B
不要búyào不要búyào
No thanks.
A
干嘛gànmá不去búqù，是说shìshuō你nǐ有yǒu看到kàndào今天jīntiān的新闻de xīnwén吗ma？
Why not? By the way, have you seen the news today?
B
什么shénme新闻xīnwén？
What news?
A
听说tīngshuō有yǒu 29% 的人de rén月底yuèdǐ都dōu得děi吃土chītǔ，超chāo夸张kuāzhāng
There are 29% of people struggling on a tight budget at the end of the month, it’s crazy!
B
是shì喔o
Oh really?
A
你nǐ真的zhēnde不bù一起yìqǐ去qù吃chī火锅huǒguō喔o？你nǐ今晚jīnwǎn要yào干嘛gānma？
Are you really not going to eat hotpot? What are you planning to do tonight?
B
吃土chītǔ！吃土chītǔ！
Eating dirt! (Sticking to my budget!)
Don’t mix these up

辨析

People often confuse different ways to talk about being low on money. Here is how they compare:

TermWhat it actually meansTone
吃土chītǔ Being completely broke or living on a tight budget after spending too much Humorous, self-deprecating, casual slang
月光族yuèguāngzú People who spend all of their monthly salary before the next paycheck arrives Colloquial lifestyle label
破产pòchǎn Going legally bankrupt or losing all financial assets Formal, legal, or serious
手头紧shǒutóu jǐn Having limited cash on hand for the moment Practical, neutral, everyday expression

The quick test: 吃土 is playful internet slang for being broke, 月光族 describes a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle, 手头紧 is a mild everyday expression, and 破产 is a serious legal situation.

Flashcards

快闪卡

Tap a card to flip it.

吃土
chītǔ
Eating dirt — broke, living on a tight budget
破产
pòchǎn
Bankruptcy — serious legal financial failure
手头紧
shǒutóu jǐn
Tight on cash — practical, short on money
月光族
yuèguāngzú
Moonlight clan — people who spend all their salary every month
Beyond Chinese

跨语言

Being broke or having an empty wallet is a universal experience, creatively captured in Korean and Japanese slang.

Korean · 손가락을 빨다
손가락을 빨다 (songgarageul ppalda, “sucking fingers”)
돈이 없어서 이번 달은 손가락을 빨아야 해요.
I have no money, so I have to suck my fingers (starve/be broke) this month.
Japanese · すっからかん
お財布がすっからかん (o-saifu ga sukkarakan)
今月は買い物をしすぎて、お財布がすっからかんになった。
I shopped too much this month, and my wallet is completely empty.
Etymology fact
The term “chītǔ” (eating dirt) became a popular internet slang expression to humorously describe extreme financial hardship. The vivid imagery implies that a person has spent all their money on shopping, bills, or travel to the point where they can no longer afford regular food and are forced to “eat dirt” for survival until the next paycheck.
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