live on; live by
live on意为“以……为主食”;“靠……过活”后接表示“食物”、“人”、“收入”等的词。如:
The soldiers lived on wild plants. 那些士兵靠吃野菜为生。
The whole family lived on the earnings of the two sisters.全家靠两姐妹挣钱过日子。
live by意为“靠……(手段)谋生”,后常接表示“获得经济手段”的名词或-ing形式。如:
Writers live by their pens while fishermen live by fishing. 作家靠笔谋生而渔夫以捕鱼为生。