01
live in financial distress
Many Americans are living in financial distress, at least some of the time.
很多美国人时常面临财务问题的困扰。
distress 意思是 suffering and problems caused by not having enough money, food “困境、窘境、困苦”,相当于 hardship,常见的搭配有 economic/financial distress 经济拮据、财政困难。
《尼克病院》第二季中出现过这个说法:
I currently find myself in a bit of financial distress.
我当前有点资金紧张。
02
live paycheck to paycheck
About 65% of working Americans say they frequently live paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey of 2,105 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll, asking questions supplied by Barron’s.
哈里斯民调机构最近对2105名美国成年人进行了一项调查(调查问题由《巴伦周刊》提供),结果显示,大约65%的在职美国人表示,他们经常捉襟见肘。
paycheck 是“薪水”的意思,live paycheck to paycheck 就是每月挣的刚够花的,靠着一月又一月的工资度日,也就是我们汉语中常说的「月月光」。
《小谢尔顿》第一季中便出现过这个表达:
Sorry, Dave. We're living paycheck to paycheck.
抱歉,戴夫,我们家生活拮据没闲钱。
也可以加一个 from,即 live from paycheck to paycheck,比如《纽约时报》中曾有篇文章谈论了政府要不要发放全民基本收入,文中有这么一句话:
Nearly 80 percent of adult Americans say they live from paycheck to paycheck, many not knowing how big their next paycheck will be.
近80%的美国成年人表示,他们过着月光的生活,很多人都不知道自己下一次的薪水会有多少。
03
run out of money
04
don't have money left
About 30% of households report that they run out of money at the end of every month, while 35% say they don’t have money left at the end of most months.
大约30%的家庭称,他们每个月都捉襟见肘,而35%的家庭表示,他们大部分月份捉襟见肘。
run out of money 和 don't have money left 这两个表达很简单,“用光了钱”“没剩下钱”。
05
live on the edge financially
While the number of people living on the edge financially has an immediate effect on household well-being, there are also longer term economic costs, including higher debt levels and uneven retirement readiness.
面临财务困境者的数量之多,直接影响了家庭幸福,但长期来看,它还会影响经济,包括债务水平高企、退休准备不均衡。
live on the edge 是一个习语,意思是生活在极限边缘或极度紧张的状态,后面加一个副词financially,表示“处于经济困境的边缘、面临经济困境”。
uneven 是形容词,这里表示“不均衡的、不公平的”,如:an uneven distribution of resources 资源的不均衡分配。
retirement readiness 指“退休准备”,uneven retirement readiness指的是,一些人或家庭可能在退休前做了充分的准备,具备足够的储蓄和投资来维持他们希望的退休生活水平。然而,另一些人或家庭可能没有足够的储蓄、投资或其他金融资源,无法在退休后维持相同的生活水平,可能陷入财务困境。
06
struggle financially
07
be vulnerable to paycheck shocks
Unsurprisingly, people earning less tend to struggle more, but even those considered well off are vulnerable to paycheck shocks.
毫不意外,低收入人群往往面临更严重的经济困境,但即使有钱人也容易受到收入变动的影响。
struggle financially 也可以表示“面临经济问题”。
paycheck shocks 指薪资冲击,即突然发生收入变动所带来的影响,比如突然降薪、失业等。
be vulnerable to 是外刊很喜欢用的短语,意思是 easy to be affected by sth bad 容易受到不好事物影响的,to是介词,后面加名词或动名词。
《经济学人》姊妹刊《1843》中有篇文章讲到了如何应对工作疲倦问题,文中有这么一句话:
Talking to a therapist can help us discover those elements in our own history and character that make us particularly vulnerable to specific difficulties such as burnout.
与治疗师交谈可以帮助我们发现自己的过往经历和性格中那些让我们特别容易受某些问题(如怠倦)影响的因素。
《犯罪心理》第九季中也出现了这个表达:
Cesar would be the kind of person vulnerable to manipulation.
凯撒可能是那种易受摆布的人。
08
spend down their paychecks
About 66% of those surveyed in March 2020 said they were spending down their paychecks.
2020年3月的调查显示,约66%的受访者表示他们正耗尽自己的薪资。
down 在这里表示将某物减少至最低限度或完全用尽,因此 spend down their paychecks 意思是将他们的薪资花费殆尽,减少至最低限度或完全用尽,意思上接近 run out of money、don't have money left、live paycheck to paycheck 等。
09
be in financial straits
Some 52% of Americans were in such straits in April 2021.
2021年4月的数据显示,约52%的美国人陷入了经济困境。
strait 在这里指“困境”,它的含义可以追溯到海上航行的概念,strait 本义是指“狭窄的水道、海峡”,对船只来说是危险的地方。因此,straits 可以引申为“困难、艰难或危险的境地”。
文中 such 代指前文出现的 financial,因此,be in financial straits 意思是“陷入经济困境”。
美剧《西部世界》第三季中出现过这个说法:
Our ex-boyfriend's just discovered his new financial straits.
前男友刚刚发现了他的财务困境。
10
financially vulnerable
The high percentage of financially vulnerable Americans, whether working or retired, poses broader problems.
无论是在职还是退休,经济脆弱的美国人所占比例很高,这会带来更广泛的问题。
be financially vulnerable 意思是“财务上容易受冲击的”,也就是“缺钱的、经济贫困的”。
今天就讲到这里,大家还有哪些“穷”的表达?欢迎在下方留言区补充,感谢阅读!
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