a family of modest means -- a family of middle class?

[GoodTaste]

Tsiolkovsky was from a family of modest means. His father, Eduard Ignatyevich Tsiolkovsky, a provincial forestry official, was a Polish noble by birth;

Source: Britannica

I don't know how to understand the phrase "modest means". It seems to be the means of a middle class with good economy (not very good though). But Microsoft Bing appears to translate it into Chinese indicating "poor economy". Yet in the sentence his father was a provincial forestry official, which usually means the family's economy would not be poor. What does the phrase really mean?

 

[teechar]

I don't know how to understand the phrase "modest means".

Take a look at the second definition of "means" in the following dictionaries. Please bookmark those sites for future reference.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/means

means noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of means noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

I presume you know what "modest" means. If not, look it up in the above dictionaries.

It seems to be the means of a middle class with good economy (not very good though). But Microsoft Bing appears to translate it into Chinese indicating "poor economy".

That's not natural. Forget about that automatic translation. As I said, look up the individual words, and just a little exercise for you, write down in plain English what you think it means.

Yet in the sentence his father was a provincial forestry official, which usually means the family's economy would not be poor.

Focus on "modest".

What does the phrase really mean?

We're waiting for your attempt at figuring it out.

 

[GoodTaste]

Means simply means money in Both Cambridge and Oxford dictionariess, and "modest" "not large in amount".
Combining with an explanation from Inverstopedia about "middle class":

What Is the Middle Class?
The middle class is a description given to individuals and households who typically fall between the working class and the upper class within a socio-economic hierarchy. In Western cultures, persons in the middle class tend to have a higher proportion of college degrees than those in the working class, have more income available for consumption, and may own property. Those in the middle class often are employed as professionals, managers, and civil servants.

It is clear that "a family of modest means" roughly refers to "a family of middle class".

Your reply helps to correct the translation of Bing - in which ChatGPT appears working at its core (that is why I did not take its translation lightly as before).

 

[5jj]

Combining with an explanation from Inverstopedia about "middle class":
It is clear that "a family of modest means" roughly refers to "a family of middle class".

It is not clear at all. 'Class' refers to social background, and 'means' to money. Some middle class people are rich and some are poor.

 

[teechar]

Tsiolkovsky was from a family of modest means.

That just means that his family was not rich. They may not have been poor, but they were not rich.

 

[GoodTaste]

That just means that his family was not rich. They may not have been poor, but they were not rich.

I guess it quite exactly means "the family was neither rich nor poor".

 

[PeterCW]

I guess it quite exactly means "the family was neither rich nor poor".

It's probably rather more subtle than that. My reading is that, while not poor, they would find it difficult to maintain a lifestyle considered appropriate for their social status.

You have to remember that Imperial Russia had a rigid class structure and social status was not directly related to personal wealth.