Correct
吃了上顿没下顿
/ chī le shàng dùn méi xià dùn /
Strokes
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Collocation
1
吃了上顿没下顿的困境
2
吃了上顿没下顿的地步
3
穷得吃了上顿没下顿
4
经常吃了上顿没下顿
Definition
吃了上顿没下顿
Literally means:
be too poor to have regular meals
Actually means:
After eating one meal, a person has no idea where his next meal comes from. The phrase figuratively means that life is so hard that even three meals a day is not guaranteed.
头一顿饭虽然吃了，但是下一顿能不能弄到吃的还不知道。吃了上顿没下顿，比喻生活很困难，连一天吃三顿饭这样最起码的需要都没有保证。
Example
Used as predicate, complement or attributive. (作谓语、补语、定语)
1
Tāmen
他们
jiāxiāng
家乡
běnlái
本来
jiù
就
hěn
很
qíong
穷
,
jīnnián
今年
liánxù
连续
sān
三
cì
次
de
的
shuǐzāi
水灾
gǎo
搞
de
得
hěnduō
很多
rénjiā
人家
dōu
都
chī
吃
le
了
shàng
上
dùn
顿
méi
没
xià
下
dùn
顿
,
pòqiè
迫切
děngdài
等待
zhāo
着
jiùjì
救济
。
Their hometown is already very poor, this year's three consecutive floods caused many people's homes to eat up and down, eager to wait for relief.
2
Tā
他
zài
在
měiguó
美国
pòchǎn
破产
yǐhòu
以后
qíong
穷
de
得
chī
吃
le
了
shàng
上
dùn
顿
méi
没
xià
下
dùn
顿
,
jiùshì
就是
yǒu
有
liǎnmiàn
脸面
huílai
回来
,
yě
也
méiyǒu
没有
qián
钱
mǎi
买
jīpiào
机票
ā
啊
。
After he went bankrupt in the United States, he was so poor that he didn't eat, he came back with a face, and he didn't have the money to buy a plane ticket.
3
Shuí
谁
yě
也
méiyǒu
没有
xiǎngdào
想到
,
zhège
这个
céngjīng
曾经
fēngguāng
风光
yī
一
shí
时
de
的
fùwēng
富翁
,
jìngrán
竟然
xiànrù
陷入
chī
吃
le
了
shàng
上
dùn
顿
méi
没
xià
下
dùn
顿
de
的
kùnjìng
困境
。
No one thought that the once beautiful rich man, actually fell into the plight of eating up and not down.