make ends meet

使收支平衡

講解：

這里的ends是復(fù)數(shù)，因為一端是“收入”，一端是“支出”。make ends meet就是讓這兩端（ends)碰在一起 (meet)，意思是“讓收入與支出能相當”，不致入不敷出。

例句：

Those unable to get jobs elsewhere sometimes return as part-time workers to their former employers，where they offer their know-how for substantially less than they had earned before ? ...The practice is especially prevalent among older workers who have been forced into early retirement but still must work to make ends meet (出自:TIME, Jul. 20,1992, p. 64)

沒辦法在別處找到工作的人，有時會回到原來的公司兼職，貢獻他們的技能，賺的錢卻比從前少得多。這種作法尤其常見于年紀較大、被迫提早退休，卻又必須工作才能平衡收支的人。