1.
making a living; livelihood; scraping by
A literary term for earning just enough to survive. Literally 'pasting the mouth shut' — having just enough food to eat. Often implies a meager or modest existence.
糊口を凌ぐ。
To eke out a living.
翻訳の仕事で糊口を凌いでいる。
I'm scraping by with translation work.
若いころは日雇い労働で糊口を凌いだ時期もあった。
When I was young, there were times I got by doing day labor.
USAGE:
Almost always used in the set phrase 糊口を凌ぐ (to eke out a living). A literary and somewhat old-fashioned expression. The character 糊 means "paste" or "gruel," evoking the image of having barely enough thin porridge to feed oneself.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 糊口を凌ぐ (to eke out a living)
- 糊口の資 (means of livelihood)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 生計: livelihood — a neutral, modern term for earning a living
- 食いつなぐ: to keep oneself fed, to scrape by — a colloquial verb with a similar meaning