五ご斗と米べい

noun

small salary; meager pay

Literally 'five to (a unit of volume) of rice', used figuratively for a very modest salary or stipend. Often carries a classical or literary flavor, and may appear in historical or idiomatic contexts.

• 五ご斗と米べいのために心こころを煩わずらわせることはない。

  There's no need to worry over such a small salary.

• 彼かれは五ご斗と米べいに甘あまんじることなく、新あらたな道みちを模も索さくした。

  Not content with a meager stipend, he sought a new path.