earn one's keep
keep 作名词时意为“生活费、生计”，earn one's keep 是常用固定搭配，表示靠自己的劳动养活自己。
He earns his keep by helping around the house.
他靠帮忙做家务挣自己的生活费。
状态；状况；固定盖；定位盖；维持某人生存和健康所需的食物或金钱；生计,供养。；被保持的状态；由此产生的状况；情况。；固定某物(如轴箱)的盖子。
Money or food needed to support a person; livelihood or maintenance.
维持某人生存和健康所需的食物或金钱；生计,供养。
The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.
被保持的状态；由此产生的状况；情况。
The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.
固定某物(如轴箱)的盖子。
A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place.
The castle's keep was the strongest part, with thick stone walls.
城堡的主塔是最坚固的部分，有着厚实的石墙。
用法提示：Keep作为名词，指城堡中的主塔。
From the top of the keep, the lord could survey his entire domain.
从主塔的顶端，领主可以俯瞰他的整个领地。
用法提示：Keep在此句中作名词，表示城堡主塔。
The attackers tried to breach the keep but failed.
攻击者试图闯入主塔，但失败了。
用法提示：Keep作为名词，指城堡的核心防御塔。
keep 作名词时意为“生活费、生计”，earn one's keep 是常用固定搭配，表示靠自己的劳动养活自己。
He earns his keep by helping around the house.
他靠帮忙做家务挣自己的生活费。
pay for one's keep 强调“花钱支付食宿等生活费用”，与 earn one's keep（用劳动换取）相对。
She pays for her keep with a part-time job.
她靠兼职来支付自己的生活费。
作‘生计’解时较正式，多指金钱或物质上的供养，口语中较少单独用来指‘养活自己’。
多指定期支付的生活费或赡养费，侧重金钱支出；不能用于‘自食其力’这类表达。
强调谋生的职业或收入来源，不具体指吃住等开销。
正式用语，强调仅够维持生存的最低限度，常作定语使用。
grammar · medium
易错句子He makes his keep by doing odd jobs.
正确表达He earns his keep by doing odd jobs.
keep 作名词表示“生计、生活费”时，固定搭配是 earn one's keep（挣得食宿费用），不能受汉语“谋生/挣钱”中“make a living”的影响而说 make one's keep。
grammar · medium
易错句子The children did chores to earn their keeps.
正确表达The children did chores to earn their keep.
keep 在“生活费、食宿费”这一义项上是不可数名词，不能加 -s；即使主语是多人，仍用单数 keep。
keep 作名词时指维持吃住所需的生活费；livelihood 指赖以生存的工作或收入来源，不指具体的吃住开销。
keep 指日常食宿费用；maintenance 在法律语境表示定期支付的赡养/抚养费，或指房屋、设备的保养费用。
keep 用于人（或动物）的生活费用；upkeep 用于房屋、机器等需要长期维护的费用。
自食其力；挣得生活费
He earns his keep by delivering newspapers.
他靠送报纸自食其力。
值得养活；没白养
A good dog is well worth its keep.
一只好狗完全值得养。
支付食宿费；缴纳生活费
She pays for her keep by helping with chores.
她靠帮忙做家务来抵食宿费。
指劳动所得，可用来支付生活所需，与 keep 所指的生活费用相关。
生活开支与 keep 表示维持生活所需的钱属于同一语义场。
常与住宿并列，是 keep 所涵盖的基本生活供给之一。
维持生活所需的住所，与 keep 在食宿语境中常同时出现。
记住；牢记
Please keep in mind that the meeting starts at 9 a.m.
请记住，会议上午九点开始。
照看；留神
Could you keep an eye on my bags while I buy a ticket?
我去买票时，你能帮我照看一下行李吗？
跟上
She walks so fast that I can hardly keep up with her.
她走得很快，我几乎跟不上她。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.