私房钱

• Pinyin: sī fáng qián
• Hanzi breakdown: 私 = 禾 (grain) + 厶 (private) — private, personal; 房 = 户 (door) + 方 (square) — room, house; 钱 = 钅(metal radical) + 戋 — money, currency

Meaning

Private savings; secret money; funds kept aside without the knowledge of one's spouse or family. A colloquial term with a playful or reproachful tone.

A widely used colloquial expression referring to money one partner keeps hidden from the other, or funds an individual sets aside secretly for personal use. Not inherently negative — can be affectionate or playful — but may carry connotations of deceit depending on context. Very common in everyday Chinese conversation.

Examples

1. 她悄悄攒了多年的私房钱，在丈夫生日时买了一份令他大为惊喜的厚礼。 She quietly saved up her secret stash for years and bought her husband a lavish gift that pleasantly shocked him on his birthday.
2. 在某些家庭中，夫妻双方保留一定数额的私房钱被认为是维护个人空间的合理方式。 In some families, it’s considered reasonable for spouses to keep a certain amount of secret savings as a way to maintain personal space.
3. 孩子在零花钱中一点一滴地积攒私房钱，悄悄为妈妈准备了一份特别的母亲节礼物。 The child saved a little bit of secret money from their allowance and quietly prepared a special Mother’s Day gift for Mom.

Usage Guide

Context: family, finance, colloquial

Tone: light-hearted

Do Say

• 他一向以精明著称，工作多年来在家庭开支之外悄悄留存了一笔不小的私房钱，以备不时之需。(Known for his shrewdness, he had quietly set aside a sizeable sum of private savings over the years, beyond the household expenses, as a reserve for unforeseen needs.)
• 现代理财观念提倡夫妻双方在共同账户之外各自保有少量私房钱，以保留一定的财务自主权。(Modern financial thinking encourages couples to each retain a small amount of private money alongside their joint accounts, so as to preserve a degree of financial autonomy.)

Don't Say

• 避免将 私房钱 用于正式财务或法律文书中 — 该词为口语化表达，正式语境下应使用 个人储蓄 或 个人财产 等规范用语

Origin & History

私 (private) + 房 (room) + 钱 (money) — money kept in a private room; funds secretly set aside for personal use outside the household

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal