为什么中国人和印度人可以存那么多钱，而美国人则不行？

Dante Wong, Author
Do you know why when, the Canadian stand-upcomedian, Russell Peters, tells his jokes about the frugality of Indians andChinese (+ other Asians) and how tight-fisted with money they are, the Indiansand Chinese (and other Asians) in the audience laugh uproariously, with someeven wiping back tears?
Because they all know it is absolutelytrue.
You can’t laugh like that if there was notruth in the joke.
I can tell you that my parents instilledfrugality in me at a tender age.
As kids, we didn’t have much in the way oftoys.
But my parents would bring me to thelibrary every other weekend, so that we could have something more valuable thantoys: books. Loads and loads of books, more books than we could ever hope toread in a fortnight.

你知道为什么当加拿大脱口秀主持人Russell Peters（罗素彼得斯，印度裔）在讲有关印度人和中国人（以及其他亚洲人）的节俭和多么舍不得花钱的笑话时底下的印度人和中国人（以及其他亚洲人）观众笑得合不拢嘴甚至笑出眼泪吗？
因为他们知道他说得太对了。如果这个笑话里没有真实的成分，人们是不可能笑成那样的。
我父母在我很小的时候就给我灌输了节俭的美德。小时候，我们没有多少玩具可以玩。但是每隔一个周末，他们就会带我去图书馆看书，这样我们就可以获得比玩具更加珍贵的东西：书籍。大量的书籍。

We seldom went out to eat, even though wecould afford to.
My parents taught me and my siblings how tocook.
We didn’t eat junk food or fast food; myparents told us that eating these foods will only end up costing us more in thelong run.
My parents still use the same wok they usedwhen I was a kid.
They even still have the same choppingboards.
I estimate the wok to be slightly olderthan I am.
We got a set of clothes on our birthdaysand another set during the Lunar New Year. That was it. None of the clotheswere branded. No GAP, no Armani, no CK. Just regular, durable clothes thatcould take a pounding or two.
The only time you’d get new clothes is ifyour underwear starts getting holes.
In that case, you MUST throw it away,because hole-y underwear (not to be confused with holy underwear) brings badluck.
Same thing with shoes - you wear them untilyou start seeing holes.

我们很少出去吃饭，虽然我们也吃得起。
我父母教我们兄弟姐妹如何煮饭做菜。我们不吃垃圾食品或者快餐；我父母对我们说吃这些食物从长远来看会让我们付出更大的代价。
我父母现在使用的锅依然还是我们小时候使用的那一个。他们使用的砧板也是以前使用的那些。我估计那个锅的年纪比我都大。
我们在生日和农历新年的时候分别获得一套新衣服。仅此而已。这些衣服都不是名牌。不是GAP，不是阿玛尼，不是CK。就是普通耐穿的衣服。
你获得新衣服的唯一机会就是你内衣裤破洞的时候。内衣裤破洞的话只能扔掉，因为那会给你带来坏运气。鞋子也是这个道理，除非破洞，否则就一直穿着。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Basically, as a kid, you spent most of yourtime in school, studying.
If not, then you’re at private or groupafter-school tuition classes, where you probably spend more time at compared toschool.
There was no time for anything else - whichalso meant you didn’t have time to spend whatever meager allowance you weregiven.
As for “treats” - well, what do you thinkthe piano and violin classes are?
You might not be musically inclined or havemuch musical talent - but by golly gee, unless you actually put your all intoit, how would you ever know?
If you get good grades, you might berewarded with a trip to the cinema.
Maybe once every 3–4 years, you could havea family trip to another city. You never buy souvenirs, because your parentswould tell you “That’s a waste of money! We’re not tourists! Put that back!”
Lather, rinse, repeat for about 18–22 yearsbefore you fly the coop, leave the nest, head off into the great wilderness insearch of adventure.

基本上，小时候，我们大部分时间都花在学校里学习。如果不在学校的话，那就是在校外补习班里，你花在补习班的时间可能比待在学校的时间还多。
没有时间干其他事情了——这意味我们连零花钱都没时间花。
就其他的“好处”而言，你觉得钢琴课和小提琴课怎样？
你可能不喜欢音乐或者没有太多的音乐天赋，但是如果你没有全力以赴，你怎么知道自己不行？
如果你考试分数很高，你可能会被奖励一张电影票。
或许每3-4年，你们全家可以去另外一个城市旅游一次。你从不买纪念品，因为父母告诉你“那是浪费钱！我们不是游客！把东西放回去！”
就这样过了18-22年，你开始逃离，离开自己的老巢，开始走向自己的探险之路。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

But even as you leave the halcyon days ofyour youth behind, even if you end up not living with Dad or Mom, you willalways hear those words in your head.
“Don’t waste money.”
“Spend below your means.”
“Save and save and save for your future.”
“And please, don’t wear hole-y underwear.”

但是即使你已经成年，即使你不再和父母生活在一起，你的脑海里随时都会响起这些声音。
“不要浪费钱。”
“不要入不敷出。”
“为未来存点钱。”
“记住，不要穿破洞的内衣裤哦。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Maulik Barot
This is very true . All people in Indiaborn before 70s have the same thought as you and your parents had becuase theyhave themselves faced bad times during their childhood and they have surelyheard stories from their own parents or grandparents .
Actually before 70s was a bad time forIndian economy . India was earlier under British rule and that was a bad phaseso when British left India then it took very long to recover & establish Indiaagain at its earlier glory . So people of that time know that what is thatworking for very very less pay, there were no grains or food in market . Forgetabout buying it . There were very harsh or no laws for startup’s . There wereno or very less universities . Adding to that famine & natural calamitiestook away what was left .

你说的对。70年代之前出生的所有印度人和你（以及你父母）的想法一样，因为他们童年时候也经历了困苦的生活，他们也从自己父母和祖父母那里听说了一些事情。
实际上，70年代之前的印度经济很糟糕。更早之前，印度在英国统治之下，而那是一个糟糕的时期，所以英国离开印度后，印度花了好长时间才恢复过来。所以当时的人们知道工资很低，市场里没有粮食或者食物。更不用说购买了。当时初创企业面临着险恶的环境，几乎没有什么大学。再加上大饥荒和自然灾害让情况更加恶化了。

Dante Wong

Thanks for sharing, Maulik. In Chinese, wehave a phrase for this. 吃苦 (chīku), the literal translation being “Eating bitterness”. Similar towhat you mentioned, it is about the ability to bear suffering or hardship.
楼上的，感谢你的分享。在中文里，有一个词叫做“吃苦”。就像你所提到的，这关乎忍受痛苦或者苦难的能力。

Maulik Barot
3m ago
This is the only reason that many Indiansare able to stay rich even at other countries like US,UK or Australia . Indiansor maybe even people from lot many other Asian countries to be specific aretrained by their parents to save their 10–20% of salaries or profits and maybeif savings are in access then to invest it in various commodities . This habitmakes them safe during bad times or during high expenditures . The opposite ofthis is observed with many people from western world who believe to spend allthey have on their weekends . There is a famous proverb “scarcity teachesvaluable lessons of life”.

这也是很多印度人能在其他国家保持富裕的唯一原因，比如在英国，美国或者澳洲。印度人或者很多其他亚洲国家的人们都被自己的父母教育，把自己工资或者利润的10-20%存起来，或者将这些储蓄投资在不同的商品上。这种习惯让他们度过了艰难时期，相反，很多西方人则喜欢把自己的钱花光光。有一句著名的谚语叫做“稀缺性给我们上了一堂宝贵的人生课”。

Carlo Gracci
Hi Dante, the descxtion of your familylife and education reminds me exactly of how life was in Italy in the Fifties.

Dante，你好，你对自己家庭生活和教育的描述让我想起了50年代的意大利生活。

Afam Ibeabuchi
Okay, Okay, a recap.
You saved every dime you could, read a tonof books, had very good discipline and hobbies (music…), and probably workedpretty hard at your chosen career.
Two questions: Did you get money rich?Also, how much do you consider rich?
Please don't misunderstand my questions, I’monly trying to find out if such a combination can get someone up there. Tryingto figure out what to piece together for maximum results. Thanks.

你非常节俭，读了很多书，学习成绩好，有良好的爱好（音乐。。。），而且在自己的职业上可能还很努力。
两个问题：你在金钱上很富有吗？你认为多少钱才算富有？
请不要误解我的问题，我只是想知道你的这些特点是不是可以帮助你走向成功。我只是想知道什么样的组合才可以带来最大的结果。谢谢。

Dante Wong
Original Author · 12h ago · 38 upvotes
I’m not sure what you mean by “up there”.
I’m no Jack Ma or Elon Musk. I have adecent job. I’m doing something I enjoy. I get to go on vacation several timesa year. I have a roof over my head. I don’t have to worry about paying any ofmy bills. I own two pieces of property. More importantly, I don’t have anyoutstanding loans.
Am I rich? I don’t think I’m rich at all.Maybe average?
Jack Ma is rich. Elon Musk is rich. Jeff Bezosis rich.
I’m just a very average guy who’s doingokay, someone who’s just trying to get by and enjoy life as best as I canbefore I shuffle off this mortal coil. :)

我不知道你说的成功是什么意思。我不是马云，也不是马斯克。我有一个体面的工作。我可以做自己喜欢做的事情。我一年去度假几次。我有自己的房子。我不用担心入不敷出。我拥有两个房产。更重要的是，我没有任何未偿还的贷款。
我富有吗？我认为自己根本不富有。或许只是一般水平？
马云是富有的。马斯克是富有的。贝佐斯是富有的。
我就是个普通人，努力的过活和享受生活。

Al Allington, lived in Cedar Springs, MI
Great question.
My Chinese wife says Chinese think likethis: number 1=eat number 2=buy a home. No car, no $150 sneakers, noboats/camper/toys, no frills until you buy a house.
I don’t know how other Chinese do it but mywife (a widow for 16 years before we met) worked 7 days a week, 10 hours a day(plenty of Chinese do), her boss fed his workers three meals a day, she had afree bus pass to get to work (because of her low income), the ONLY applianceleft on in her home was a small refrigerator, no lights, no phone charger, tvon only a couple hours a week and so on. Her electric bill was nearly zero. Shedidn’t heat her house in winter (very few Chinese do so in mid-south Chinadespite cold winters and occasional snow. She didn’t have a car or motorbikebut rode a bus or walked everywhere. When we met she owned two homes free andclear and had a savings equal to about five years take home pay. I once figuredshe had saved about 75% of her income for 10 years while raising a son andsending him to college in Australia. She did it because she was expected tosave for her old age and she was expected to help out her son who had no fatherto help him.
I have seen/met plenty of young peopleworking 10 hour days who then have small street vendor businesses, working fourhours in the evening. That’s how they do it. They work for it, scrimp, they gowithout and they plan.

这个问题很好。我的中国妻子说中国人是这么想的：第一吃饭，第二买房子。在买房子之前，不买车，不买150美元的运动鞋，不买船艇/野营车/玩具。
我不知道其他中国人怎样，但是我的妻子（她当了16年的寡妇，直到我们相见）每周工作7天，每天工作10小时（很多中国人都这样），她的老板给员工提供三餐，她可以用免费公交一卡通上下班（因为它收入低），她家里留下的唯一家电就是一个小冰箱，没有电灯，没有手机充电器，电视一周只开几个小时。她的电费几乎是0。冬天她也不使用暖气，不过中国中南部的人们很少使用暖气，即使冬天很冷，有时还下雪。她没有汽车，也没有电动摩托车，而是坐公交或者走路。我遇到她的时候，她已经拥有两套房产，而且储蓄相当于五年净薪。10年来她把自己收入的70%都存起来了，同时抚养自己的一个儿子并送他到澳洲学习。她这么做是因为她得为自己老了以后做准备，而且要帮助自己的儿子，因为儿子没了爸爸。
我见过很多年轻人白天工作10小时，晚上又在街上摆摊4小时。他们就是这么勤劳。他们精打细算，富有计划。

Ryan McClintick
In America you pretty much need a car toget to work in most cities, almost every city. Public transportation exists butit’s not so widespread. If you don’t have a car in the midwest or can’t havsomeone drive you then you can’t work as you usually don’t live close enough toa place of employment. Only if you live downtown is a public transport buss areal option. Busses usually run late. Many emplorers require the worker to havetheir own transportation. You don’t need a new or fancy car but you need avehicle in most of the USA. with that car you need car insurance, and have toregister it and get a license plate. that all costs money. In America ones rentand car payment is a huge chunk of ones income.

在美国的大部分城市里，你一般需要自己开车去上班，几乎所有城市都是这样。公共交通是有，但是没那么方便。如果你在中西部没有车，或者没人接送你，那么你是无法上班的，因为你的住处离公司一般都挺远。只有居住在市中心才可能乘坐公交车去上班。而且巴士经常迟到。很多雇主都要求员工自己开车。自己买车意味着要给车上保险，要登记注册，要获得车牌号码，这些都需要花钱。在美国，房租和车辆费用占据了一个人收入的很大一部分。

Adam Fayed
Culture. I lived in China for 4.5 years,and for all the faults, Chinese people are taught to delay gratification. Thatis changing with the new materialistic generation- much more materialistic thanWestern countries in general.
However, the state in China doesn’t providefor people. So you can’t relay on the state to provide you with housing, or apension. It exits but it is limited. So you need to state and invest.
Most people have seen, or heard fromgrandparents, about the bad times. The Cultural Revolution or whatever. Sopeople are careful. Beyond that, families look after each other in China.
So even though selfishness has gotten outof control in China, and that can be seen by the way many wealthier peoplebehave, they look after their family. So you will see many Chinese people in2nd and 3rd tier cities, who only make 4,000–7,000RMB, and yet they are able toconsume and save, due to parental and family support.

文化使然。我在中国生活了四年半，中国人被教育去延迟享乐。但是新一代中国人崇拜金钱，所以这一点正在发生变化，总体上比西方国家还要崇拜金钱。
然而，中国政府并不供养人民。所以人们无法不能期望国家给他们提供住房或者养老金。虽然也有，但是有限。所以你得自己投资自己。
大部分人见过或者从祖辈那里听说过以前的困难时期。所以人们很谨慎。此外，在中国，家庭之间是互相照顾的。
所以虽然现在的中国人变得很自私，这可以从很多富人的行为中看出来，但是他们还是会照顾自己的家人。所以你会看到中国二三线城市的很多人每个月赚4000-7000元，但是他们却能消费和存钱，就是因为有父母和家庭的支持。