勒裤带

勒裤带

Literally means:

tighten one's belt

Actually means:

live frugal life

勒 means fastening something with a string. 裤带 refers to belt.

The whole phrase metaphorically means suffering from starvation. It also means that one or a certain family lives a frugal life to save up money for other expenses, or that certain institution tightens its expenses owing to the financial difficulty.

勒，用绳子等把东西套住然后拉紧；裤带，指腰带。

勒裤带，比喻忍受饥饿。也指个人或家庭省吃俭用，把钱省下来应付别的开支，或机构遇到财政困难时而紧缩开支。