If an amount of food, money, proof, or pay is meagre, it is too small — much less than a person needs. It is not merely “a little.” It carries a sad or critical feel: this is not enough to live on, not enough to do the job.

If an amount of food, money, proof, or pay is meagre如果一份食物、金錢、證據，或薪水的量是meagre的than a person needs比一個人所需要的it is too small — much less就太少了，少得多。It is not merely 'a little.'它不只是『有一點少』而已。It carries a sad or critical feel它帶著一種令人難過或帶批評意味的感覺：this is not enough to live on這不夠讓人過生活，not enough to do the job也不夠把事情做好。

A meagre meal might be a little rice and nothing else. A meagre salary is one you can barely get through the month on. A meagre piece of evidence is too thin to convince anyone.

A meagre meal might be a little rice and nothing else一頓meagre的餐可能就只有一點點飯，什麼都沒有。A meagre salary is one一份meagre的薪水you can barely get through the month on是你勉強能撐過一個月的薪水。A meagre piece of evidence is too thin一份meagre的證據太薄弱，to convince anyone不足以說服任何人。

The word is a little formal and a little bookish; news, school essays, and novels like it.

The word is a little formal and a little bookish這個字有點正式、有點書面語；news, school essays, and novels like it新聞、學校作文和小說都喜歡用它。

In American spelling you will usually see meager, same meaning; British and many Taiwan textbooks keep meagre.

In American spelling you will usually see meager在美式拼法裡你通常會看到meager，same meaning意思一樣；British and many Taiwan textbooks keep meagre英式拼法和台灣許多教科書則保留meagre。

People do not often use it for a tiny object they do not care about (a small stone is not meagre). They use it when something important is short.

People do not often use it大家不常用這個字for a tiny object they do not care about來形容一個他們不在乎的小東西(a small stone is not meagre)（一顆小石頭不會被說是meagre）。They use it when something important is short他們是在重要的東西不夠的時候才用這個字。