聊以卒歲

聊以卒歲

1. (literary) to live leisurely and carefree
2. (literary) to tide over the year; to scrape a living

   • 不足部分，可以種雜糧、撈魚蝦、飼雞豕，或出賣一部分勞動力，勉強維持生活，於艱難竭蹶之中，存聊以卒歲之想。 [MSC, trad.]
     不足部分，可以种杂粮、捞鱼虾、饲鸡豕，或出卖一部分劳动力，勉强维持生活，于艰难竭蹶之中，存聊以卒岁之想。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1925, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《中國社會各階級的分析》 (Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society), 毛澤東選集 (1991). English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Bùzú bùfen, kěyǐ zhòng záliáng, lāo yúxiā, sì jī shǐ, huò chūmài yībùfen láodònglì, miǎnqiǎng wéichí shēnghuó, yú jiānnánjiéjué zhī zhōng, cún liáoyǐzúsuì zhī xiǎng. [Pinyin]

     To make up their deficit they cultivate side crops, catch fish or shrimps, raise poultry or pigs, or sell part of their labour power, and thus eke out a living, hoping in the midst of hardship and destitution to tide over the year.