上有老下有小的一摊子事
“I have old folks and a kid to care for.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“but you know my family's condition.”
上有老下有小 的一摊子事
“I have old folks and a kid to care for.”
“I can take care of him for a day or two,”
“My hands are completely full at home, so don't expect me to take this on for very long.”
In Chinese culture, supporting both aging parents and dependent children is a fundamental filial and parental duty that serves as an universally respected, socially unassailable reason for declining extra duties.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
having elderly parents above and young children below to care for
A quintessential idiomatic phrase used to explain intense domestic and financial pressures of the sandwich generation.
a whole mess of affairs; a pile of chores
Used colloquially with the measure word '摊子' to depict complicated, messy domestic or administrative tasks.
