“I’m broke” in Chinese is more necessary to learn than you realise.
It’s time to add a new useful word to your toolkit! We’ve all had it where we go to the market and someone tries to upsell us additional items. Maybe we don’t want them or we can’t afford them, but either way, we don’t plan on buying them. ‘No’ rarely cuts it though.
“What does”? We hear you ask. “I’m broke” in Chinese usually does the job!
So how do you actually say “I’m broke” in Chinese? Check our handy video and transcript below to learn more.
Alternatively, if you already feel confident in this, why not test your knowledge on our Chinese culture and vocabulary quizzes?
“To be totally broke” | 出土 (chītǔ)
When you have no money at all, sometimes “I’m broke” in Chinese just doesn’t cut it. To say “I’m totally broke”, use this verb phrase to make fun of yourself or your friends:
吃土 (chītǔ) – to eat dirt
1. I’m totally broke in Chinese
👜 For example, imagine you’re learning Chinese in China and you want to buy a very expensive bag. This might be an example you’re familiar with:
▪️ 我好想买那个包啊！
▪️ Wǒ hǎo xiǎng mǎi nà gè bāo a!
▪️ I really want to buy this bag
▪️ 但是买完之后就没钱了
▪️ Dànshì mǎiwán zhīhòu jiù méi qián le
▪️ But if I buy it, I won’t have any money left
▪️ 我就要吃土了
▪️ Wǒ jiù yào chītǔ le
▪️ I will have nothing left but to “eat dirt”
2. “I’m broke” in Chinese
💲 What is the happiest day of the month? Payday!
While some people try to save money, others happily spend most of their salary during the first few days and then live on instant noodles till next month. If you’re the latter, you definitely need to know how to say “I’m broke” in Chinese. If this is you, you can say:
▪️ 每个月发完工资高兴3天
▪️ Měi gè yuè fāwán gōngzī gāoxìng sān tiān
▪️ Every month once I get my salary, I’m happy for 3 days
▪️ 剩下的27天都要吃土了
▪️ Shèngxià de èrshíqī tiān dōu yào chītǔ le
▪️ And then, for the remaining 27 days, I have to “eat dirt“
3. A joke to express “I’m broke” in Chinese
Finally, a Chinese joke to really help you cement “I’m broke” in Chinese. into your mind:
我和我妈妈说：“妈妈，我没钱了，又要吃土了”
Wǒ hé wǒ māma shuō, “Māmā, wǒ méi qián le, yòu yào chītǔ le”
I told my mom, “Mom, I’m out of money, I have to “eat dirt” again”
妈妈说：“这是好消息！因为土有的是！”
Māma shuō: “Zhè shì hǎo xiāoxi! Yīnwèi tǔ yǒu de shì!”
My mom replied, “This is great news! Because we have a lot of dirt!”
“I’m broke” in Chinese – but are you?
Hopefully you’re feeling ready to use this verb phrase out in the wild. It’s pretty straight forward.
If you’re wanting to practise in a controlled environment first though, assuming you’re “broke”, why not take one of our free trial classes? They can get you HSK test ready very quickly!
