够本 (gòu běn) literally means 'enough capital' or 'sufficient cost basis' — combining 够 (gòu, 'enough, sufficient') and 本 (běn, 'capital, cost, original investment'). It is an idiomatic verb used primarily in informal spoken Chinese to indicate that one has recovered their initial investment or expenses — essentially 'breaking even.' The term originates from business contexts but is now widely used in everyday situations, such as calculating personal spending on food, travel, or entertainment.

The phrase carries a pragmatic, often slightly humorous or self-satisfied tone: achieving 够本 implies you’ve at least avoided loss, even if no profit was made. It’s commonly used with verbs like 挣 (zhèng, 'to earn'), 赚 (zhuàn, 'to make money'), or 亏 (kuī, 'to lose money') — for example, 挣够本 ('earn back your costs'). It does not imply profit; that would require phrases like 赚钱 or 盈利.