1
on a shoestring
固定搭配，表示“用极少的钱”，常与 travel、live、run 等动词搭配。
They traveled around the world on a shoestring.
他们靠很少的钱环游了世界。
小额资金；少量资金
shoestrings — plural of shoestring
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
小额资金；少量资金
a small amount of money
They traveled around the world on a shoestring.
他们靠很少的钱环游了世界。
细长的物体,类似鞋带(义项1)。
An object that is long and thin, like a shoestring (sense 1).
主要用于 on a shoestring 短语中:指极少的资金；预算紧张。
Chiefly in on a shoestring: very little money; a tight budget.
They launched the company on a shoestring and slowly grew it.
他们用极少的钱创办了公司，并慢慢发展起来。
She saved every penny and managed to travel around the world on a shoestring.
她省下每一分钱，靠很少的钱成功环游了世界。
He is used to living on a shoestring, so the low salary does not bother him.
他习惯了省吃俭用地生活，所以低薪水并不让他烦恼。
固定搭配，表示“用极少的钱”，常与 travel、live、run 等动词搭配。
They traveled around the world on a shoestring.
他们靠很少的钱环游了世界。
shoestring budget 指非常有限的预算，是名词短语，常作 have 或 with 等的宾语。
The film had a shoestring budget.
这部电影的预算少得可怜。
run 后接经营对象，再加 on a shoestring，表示以很少的资金维持运营。
She runs the restaurant on a shoestring.
她经营这家餐馆的资金极少。
Not this
They started the company with a shoestring.
Use this
They started the company on a shoestring.
表示“靠很少的钱”做事时，固定搭配是 on a shoestring，介词不能用 with；with 通常表示使用工具或方式，而这里是表示资金条件，要用 on。
Not this
She lives on shoestring.
Use this
She lives on a shoestring.
shoestring 是可数名词，在固定短语 on a shoestring 中必须带不定冠词 a；漏掉冠词是受汉语“靠很少的钱”没有冠词概念的影响。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
以极少的钱；预算很低
They traveled around the world on a shoestring.
他们靠极少的钱环游了世界。
极少的预算；微薄资金
The movie was made on a shoestring budget.
这部电影是用极少的预算拍成的。
靠极少资金运转；小本经营
The small shop runs on a shoestring.
这家小店靠极少的资金维持经营。
靠很少的钱生活；生活拮据
She has been living on a shoestring since she lost her job.
自从失业以来，她一直靠很少的钱生活。
以极少的启动资金创业
He started his business on a shoestring and made it big.
他以极少的资金创业，后来把它做大了。
靠极少的资金；小本经营
She traveled around the world on a shoestring.
她靠着极少的钱环游了世界。
极少的预算；微薄的预算
They produced the play on a shoestring budget.
他们用极少的预算制作了这部戏剧。
小本经营；资金微薄的经营
The restaurant is a shoestring operation run by a couple.
这家餐厅是一对夫妇经营的小本生意。
Use shoestrings naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象鞋带又细又长，像一条细线，只能挂住很少的钱；所以 shoestring 指“小额资金”。
语域：informal 常见场景：日常口语、创业或小本经营、新闻报道中的生活成本话题 这里取“少量资金/小额资本”一义。表示“用很少的钱”时，通常出现在非正式语境，尤其是 on a shoestring 这一搭配，多用于口语或轻松的报道中。
与 shoestring 的结尾 /strɪŋ/ 完全相同的词：string, hamstring, drawstring, bowstring。注意：sting (/stɪŋ/) 没有 /r/ 音，spring (/sprɪŋ/) 是 /pr/ 而不是 /tr/，发音不同。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.