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Learn Mandarin Chinese, how to say – Teachers and students are greatly affected by educational budget cuts.
教育预算的削减对教师和学生的影响很大。
jiàoyù yùsuàn de xuējiǎn duì jiàoshī hé xuésheng de yǐngxiǎng hěn dà .
jiàoyù （noun, education) yùsuàn (noun, budget) de (connecting particle to connect attributive and the noun it modifies) xuējiǎn (noun, decrease or cut) duì (preposition, toward) jiàoshī (noun, teacher) hé (conjunction, and) xuésheng (noun, students) de (connecting particle to connect attributive and the noun it modifies) yǐngxiǎng (noun, influence/impact/effect) hěn (adverb, very) dà (adjective, big) .
The following is a Chinese joke which I found online about having money and having no money. Pinyin, English translation and voice recording are provided.
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没钱的时候，养猪;
有钱的时候，养狗。
没钱的时候，在家里吃泡饭;
有钱的时候，在酒家吃泡饭。
没钱的时候，墙角下蹲着打玻璃弹子;
有钱的时候，草原上立着打高尔夫球。
没钱的时候，在马路上骑自行车;
有钱的时候，在客厅里骑自行车。
没钱的时候，一群朋友;
有钱的时候，一群保镖。
没钱的时候，买衣服先看价钱;
有钱的时候，买衣服先看标签。
没钱的时候，开着夏利去抖派;
有钱的时候，开着宾利去买菜。
没钱的时候，装有钱;
有钱的时候，装没钱……
没钱的时候，养猪;
méi qián de shíhou , yǎngzhū;
When there is no money, one raises pigs.
(Note: raising pigs is for subsistence living.)
有钱的时候，养狗。
yǒuqián de shíhou , yǎng gǒu .
When there is money, one raises dogs.
(Note: Having dogs for pets is just for fun.)
没钱的时候，在家里吃泡饭;
méi qián de shíhou , zài jiālǐ chī pāo fàn ;
When there is no money, one eats gruel at home.
(Note: A thin liquid food of oatmeal or other meal boiled in milk or water.)
有钱的时候，在酒家吃泡饭。
yǒuqián de shíhou , zài jiǔjiā chī pāo fàn .
When there is money, one eats gruel at restaurants
没钱的时候，墙角下蹲着打玻璃弹子;
méi qián de shíhou , qiángjiǎo xià cúnzháodǎ bōli dàn zǐ ;
When there is no money, one squats playing marbles at the corner of walls.
有钱的时候，草原上立着打高尔夫球。
yǒuqián de shíhou , cǎoyuán shàng lìzhe dǎ gāo ěr fū qiú .
When there is money, one stands playing golf on grasslands.
没钱的时候，在马路上骑自行车;
méi qián de shíhou , zài mǎlù shàng qí zìxíngchē ;
When there is no money, one rides bikes on roads.
有钱的时候，在客厅里骑自行车。
yǒuqián de shíhou , zài kètīng lǐ qí zìxíngchē .
When there is money, one rides (stationary) bikes in living rooms.
没钱的时候，一群朋友;
méi qián de shíhou , yī qún péngyou ;
When there is no money, one has a group of friends.
有钱的时候，一群保镖。
yǒuqián de shíhou , yī qún bǎobiāo .
When there is money, one has a group of bodyguards.
没钱的时候，买衣服先看价钱;
méi qián de shíhou , mǎi yīfu xiān kàn jiàqian ;
When there is no money, one looks at the price (tag) before buying clothes.
有钱的时候，买衣服先看标签。
yǒuqián de shíhou , mǎi yīfu xiān kàn biāoqiān .
When there is money, one checks (brand) label before buying clothes.
没钱的时候，开着夏利去抖派;
méi qián de shíhou , kāizháoXià Lìqù dǒu pài ;
When there is no money, one drives Xiali to show off one’s richness.
(Note: Xiali (夏利) is Chinese for “Charade”. The TJ7100-series cars, based on the 1987 Charade, are still very popular in China as taxicabs although they are gradually being replaced by larger Volkswagen and Hyundai cars.)
有钱的时候，开着宾利去买菜。
yǒuqián de shíhou , kāizháobīnlìqù mǎi cài .
When there is money, one drives Bentley cars to do grocery shopping.
(Note: Bentley Motors manufacture handcrafted motor cars in Crewe, England.)
没钱的时候，装有钱;
méi qián de shíhou , zhuāngyǒuqián ;
When there is no money, one pretends to be rich.
有钱的时候，装没钱……
yǒuqián de shíhou , zhuāng méi qián ……
When there is money, one pretends to be poor…….
Common Chinese financial terms/terminology about budget and spending:
Budget:
预算
yùsuàn
An estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.
Deficit:
赤字
chìzì
An excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets in a given period.
Fiscal year:
财政年度
cáizhèng niándù
A year as reckoned for taxing or accounting purposes.
Spending:
花费
huāfèi
开支
kāizhī
Pay out (money) in buying or hiring goods or services.
Revenues:
收入
shōurù
Income, esp. when of a company or organization and of a substantial nature.
Surplus:
盈余
yíngyú
An amount of something left over when requirements have been met; an excess of production or supply over demand.
Debt:
债务
zhàiwù
Something, typically money, that is owed or due.
Quotes and jokes about budget or budgeting:
“It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it.”
— George W. Bush
“I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.”
— Jackie Mason
“Some couples go over their budgets very carefully every month; others just go over them.”
— Sally Poplin
“A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.”
— William Feather
“We must consult our means rather than our wishes.”
― George Washington
“A penny saved is worth two pennies earned . . . after taxes. ”
― Randy Thurman
Q: How to make a million in the stock market?
A: Start with two!
A chemist, an engineer and an economist are stranded on a deserted island. They carry with them some canned food but have no ordinary means to open the cans. The chemist suggests collecting some wood and starting a fire and then holding the cans over the heat, counting on the expanding contents to burst open the cans. The engineer thinks it would be better to try smashing the cans open with some of the rocks lying around. The economist begins his thoughts with “Assume we had a can opener…”
This is a funny song with good beats! Hope you will get a few laughters from it.
KINKS [LIVE] low budget with lyrics
大砍370億元! 立院通過總預算 Slashed 370 billion! The Legislative Yuan approves the total budget.
Listen to this Mandarin news about a big budget cut of Taiwan to test your Mandarin listening comprehension on this news clip.