透支 tòuzhī to overdraw
(banking) to overdraw; to take out an overdraft; an overdraft; to overspend (i.e. expenditure in excess of revenue); (old) to draw one's wage in advance; (figuratively) to exhaust (one's enthusiasm, energy etc); to damage a natural resource through overuse
How to remember 透支: 透 to pierce + 支 branch = to overdraw.
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How it is used
- Originally banking: to overdraw an account - 信用卡透支 (xìnyòngkǎ tòuzhī) overdraw a credit card.
- Very common figuratively for exhausting a resource in advance - 透支健康 (tòuzhī jiànkāng) burn out your health; 透支体力 use up your energy beyond your reserves.
- The image is spending what you don't yet have, whether money or vitality.