scant oneself in food and clothes
As a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is sh à iy à Su à sh í, which means to cut down on food and clothing, and describes economy. It comes from Ming Ning Lian's tomb inscription of Ye Fu Jun in Lishui. Ming Ning Lian's tomb inscription of Ye Fu Jun in Lishui: "although the family was poor, they lived in the party for more than ten years."
scant oneself in food and clothes
conceal the true state of affairs from above and below oneself - qī shàng wǎng xià
weep in a corner and bewail one 's sad fate - xiàng yú ér qì
can not claim credit due to others - bù gǎn lüè měi
splits off as it meets the edge of knife without effort - yíng rèn yǐ jiě