gali lubang, tutup lubang — meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Indonesianeutral
  • Literal: to dig a hole and then fill or close it, referring to the physical action of making and covering an excavation.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Pak RT mengajari kami cara gali lubang, tutup lubang untuk menanam pohon agar rapi dan teratur.

    The neighborhood head taught us how to dig holes and cover them to plant trees neatly and orderly.

  • Anak-anak sedang bermain di halaman, mereka gali lubang, tutup lubang berulang kali dengan semangat.

    The children were playing in the yard, digging holes and covering them repeatedly with enthusiasm.

  • Setelah gali lubang, tutup lubang selesai, kami mulai menanam bibit tanaman di taman sekolah.

    After digging and covering holes, we started planting seedlings in the school garden.

  • Pekerja proyek gali lubang, tutup lubang untuk memperbaiki saluran air yang rusak di jalan itu.

    Project workers dug and filled holes to repair damaged water channels on that road.

• 2.

  Indonesiainformalcolloquial
  • Figurative: to borrow or take on new obligations in order to pay off existing ones, creating a cycle of debt or temporary fixes that conceal underlying problems.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Perusahaan itu selalu gali lubang, tutup lubang dengan pinjaman baru untuk menutupi hutang lama.

    That company always borrows new loans to pay off old debts, creating a cycle of debt.

  • Kalau terus-terusan gali lubang, tutup lubang seperti ini, akhirnya keuangan kita akan jatuh bangkrut.

    If we keep borrowing to pay off debts like this, eventually our finances will collapse.

  • Saya capek harus gali lubang, tutup lubang untuk bayar tagihan, ingin sekali keluar dari siklus utang ini.

    I'm tired of having to borrow to pay bills; I really want to get out of this debt cycle.