How do you use "In the red" in a sentence?

The company has been in the red for three quarters straight. I'm in the red on my credit cards after the holidays. They need to get out of the red before they can think about expanding.

In the red

Q: What does "In the red" mean?

In debt; operating at a financial loss. 'In the red' comes from accounting — losses were traditionally recorded in red ink. Being in the red means you owe more than you have. It's used for individuals, businesses, and governments alike. The opposite is 'in the black' (profitable).

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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含义: In debt; operating at a financial loss.

负债；经营亏损。

Endeudado; operando con pérdidas financieras.

借金がある状態。赤字経営であること。

빚이 있는 상태. 적자 운영 중인 것.

'In the red' comes from accounting — losses were traditionally recorded in red ink. Being in the red means you owe more than you have. It's used for individuals, businesses, and governments alike. The opposite is 'in the black' (profitable).

'In the red'源自会计行业——亏损传统上用红色墨水记录。'In the red'意味着你欠的比你有的多。个人、企业和政府都可以用。反义词是'in the black（盈利）'。

'In the red' viene de la contabilidad: las pérdidas se registraban tradicionalmente en tinta roja. Estar en números rojos significa que debes más de lo que tienes. Se usa para personas, empresas y gobiernos por igual. Lo contrario es 'in the black' (con beneficios).

「in the red」は会計用語に由来する——損失は伝統的に赤いインクで記録された。赤字であるとは、持っている以上の借金があることを意味する。個人、企業、政府のいずれにも使われる。反対語は「in the black」（黒字）。

'in the red'는 회계에서 유래했다 — 전통적으로 손실을 빨간 잉크로 기록했기 때문이다. 'in the red'는 가진 것보다 빚이 더 많다는 뜻이다. 개인, 기업, 정부 모두에 쓰인다. 반대말은 'in the black'(흑자)이다.

例句

The company has been in the red for three quarters straight.
那家公司已经连续三个季度亏损了。
La empresa lleva tres trimestres seguidos en números rojos.
その会社は3四半期連続で赤字だ。
그 회사는 3분기 연속 적자다.
I'm in the red on my credit cards after the holidays.
过完节我的信用卡都透支了。
Estoy en números rojos con las tarjetas de crédito después de las fiestas.
年末年始の後、クレジットカードが赤字だよ。
연말연시 이후 신용카드가 적자야.
They need to get out of the red before they can think about expanding.
他们得先扭亏为盈，才能考虑扩张。
Necesitan salir de los números rojos antes de pensar en expandirse.
拡大を考える前に、まず赤字から脱出しないと。
확장을 생각하기 전에 먼저 적자에서 벗어나야 해.

发音

用法指南

语境: finance, business, casual conversation

语气: concerning, factual

✓ 正确说法

We're still in the red.
我们还在亏损。
Seguimos en números rojos.
うちはまだ赤字だ。
우리 아직 적자야.
The business went into the red.
公司陷入了亏损。
La empresa entró en números rojos.
その事業は赤字に転落した。
그 사업이 적자에 빠졌어.

✗ 错误说法

Acceptable in professional contexts — this is standard financial vocabulary
在正式场合也能用——这是标准的财务用语
Aceptable en contextos profesionales — es vocabulario financiero estándar
ビジネスの場でも使える——これは標準的な金融用語
공식적인 자리에서도 쓸 수 있다 — 이것은 표준 금융 용어다

起源与历史

From traditional bookkeeping where losses were written in red ink and profits in black. This practice dates back centuries, and the expression 'in the red' has been common in American English since the early 1900s.

文化背景

Era: Early 1900s onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal