精打细算 (jīng dǎ xì suàn)

Character breakdown

• 精 (jīng) · 14 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 青 represents the sound.

• 打 (dá) · 5 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 丁 represents the sound.

• 细 (xì) · 8 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 囟 represents the sound. Simplified form of 細.

• 算 (suàn) · 14 strokes

  Depicts a tool (具) made from bamboo (⺮) for performing calculations, such as an abacus.

Usage

妈妈精打细算地过日子。

meticulous planning and careful accounting (idiom)

mā mā jīng dǎ xì suàn dì guò rì zi 。