不當家不知柴米貴

不当家不知柴米贵
bùdāngjiābùzhīcháimǐguì
a person who doesn't manage a household would not be aware how expensive it is (idiom)

CEDICT

managing a family is not easy, and requires responsibility

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

=1 不當 bùdàng unsuitable; improper; inappropriate
=1 不當 bùdāng
  1. (literary) does not match; does not equal
  2. (literary) is not
  3. (literary) should not
  4. does not match; does not equal
  5. is not
  6. should not
=2 家 jiā used in 傢伙 jiāhuo and 傢俱 jiājù
=2 家 jiā
  1. home
  2. family
  3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc)
  4. classifier for families or businesses
  5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China
  6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian

classifier: 個
3 不知 bùzhī
  1. not to know
  2. unaware
  3. unknowingly
  4. fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc)
4 柴米 cháimǐ
  1. (figurative) daily necessities
  2. alternative form of 柴米油鹽醬醋茶 /柴米油盐酱醋茶 (chái mǐ yóu yán jiàng cù chá)
  3. daily necessities
  4. firewood and rice
5 貴 guì
  1. expensive
  2. (bound form) highly valued; precious
  3. (bound form) noble; of high rank
  4. (prefix) (honorific) your