Definition

1. Verb:
   • To consume something prematurely or before it is properly ready: This refers specifically to eating pickled or fermented foods (like vegetables) before they have fully cured, often resulting in a harsh or unfinished taste.
   • To do something in a hasty, makeshift, or impatient manner, seeking immediate results without proper preparation or long-term planning: This describes an approach that prioritizes short-term gain over sustainable quality or thoroughness.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đừng ăn xổi món dưa muối này, phải đợi thêm vài ngày nữa. (Don't eat this pickled cabbage prematurely; you must wait a few more days.)
  • Anh ấy có thói quen ăn xổi trong công việc, nên chất lượng thường không cao. (He has a habit of doing things in a hasty, makeshift way at work, so the quality is often not high.)
  • Kế hoạch này cần đầu tư lâu dài, không thể ăn xổi được. (This plan requires long-term investment; it cannot be done hastily for quick results.)

Advanced Usage

• "ăn xổi ở thì": This is a common four-word idiom that encapsulates the core figurative meaning. It means to live hand-to-mouth, to live for the present moment, or to adopt a shortsighted, opportunistic approach to life without care for the future.
  • Họ sống kiểu ăn xổi ở thì, chẳng lo tích cóp cho tương lai. (They live a hand-to-mouth existence, not bothering to save for the future.)

Variants and Related Words

• Làm ăn xổi (verb phrase): To work or do business in a hasty, corner-cutting manner.
  • Công ty đó làm ăn xổi nên chẳng tồn tại được lâu. (That company operated in a slapdash way so it couldn't last long.)

Synonyms

• To rush: To do something with excessive haste.
• To be shortsighted: To lack foresight or long-term planning.
• To cut corners: To do something in the easiest or quickest way, often sacrificing quality.

Related Idioms

• Ăn xổi ở thì: As detailed above, this is the primary idiom.
• Ăn tươi nuốt sống: (To eat raw and swallow alive) - Means to act with extreme ruthlessness or haste, often in a competitive or predatory context. It shares the connotation of impatience and lack of due process with .

verb

1. To eat (consume) prematurely
   • cà muối ăn xổi
     pickled egg-fruit eaten prematurely
2. To be impatient for result
   • ăn xổi ở thì
     to live by makeshifts