拮据

gāi guó jī hū yào wài huì jié jū le

该国几乎要外汇拮据了。

This country almost runs out of its foreign currency.

shēng huó hěn jié jū

生活很拮据

live from hand to mouth

měi dāng wǒ shǒu tóu jié jū de shí hou tā zǒng shì qīng náng xiāng zhù

每当我手头拮据的时候，他总是倾囊相助。

Whenever I'm hard up for money, he will empty his purse to help me.

jīng jì jié jū

经济拮据

in financial straits

wǒ dāng xué sheng shí zǒng shì hěn jié jū

我当学生时总是很拮据。

I was always hard up as a student.