Definition

Adjective: 1. Greedy (in eating), gluttonous: Describes a person who eats excessively, wanting more food than necessary or appropriate. 2. Greedy, selfish (in a broader sense): Describes a person who wants to take or enjoy something all for themselves without sharing with others.

Usage

• Used to describe a person's character or a specific behavior related to excessive desire for food or gain.
• Often carries a negative connotation of selfishness and lack of restraint.

Examples

1. Describing gluttony:

   • Đứa trẻ đó rất ăn tham, lúc nào cũng muốn ăn hết phần của người khác. (That child is very greedy; he always wants to eat other people's portions.)
   • Nó ăn tham đến mức bị đau bụng. (He ate so gluttonously that he got a stomach ache.)

2. Describing selfishness/greed:

   • Ông chủ ăn tham, không chia lợi nhuận cho nhân viên. (The boss is greedy; he doesn't share the profits with the employees.)
   • Anh ta có tính ăn tham, muốn chiếm hết mọi thứ cho riêng mình. (He has a greedy nature, wanting to take everything for himself.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ăn tham ăn tất": An idiom meaning to be extremely greedy, wanting to grab everything. It intensifies the meaning of .
  • Hắn là kẻ ăn tham ăn tất, chẳng chừa ai. (He is an extremely greedy person, sparing no one.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tham ăn (adj): This is a variant with the same meaning as . The word order is flexible.
  • Đừng có tham ăn như vậy! (Don't be so greedy!)
• Tham lam (adj): A more general term for "greedy" or "avaricious," covering desire for money, possessions, etc., not just food.
  • Kẻ tham lam không bao giờ thấy đủ. (A greedy person is never satisfied.)

Synonyms

• Háu ăn (adj): Gluttonous, voracious (often implies eagerness and speed in eating).
• Tham (adj): Greedy, covetous (the root adjective, broader in scope).

Related Idioms

• "Ăn như hổ đói": To eat like a starving tiger. This idiom vividly describes someone eating very quickly and a lot, similar to being .
  • Nó ăn như hổ đói, chẳng nói chẳng rằng. (He ate like a starving tiger, without saying a word.)
• "Tham thì thâm": A proverb meaning "Greed leads to loss" or "You can be too greedy." It warns about the consequences of greed.
  • Nhớ câu "tham thì thâm" mà sống cho phải. (Remember the saying "greed leads to loss" and live rightly.)

adjective

1. greedy ; gluttonous