Definitions

1. Verb:
   • To sell (crops) while they are still growing/immature: The primary meaning refers to the agricultural practice of selling a crop, typically rice or other grains, while it is still in the field and not yet fully harvested. The seller receives payment immediately, but at a price lower than the expected market value at harvest time, transferring the future risk (of crop failure, price drops) to the buyer.
   • To sell prematurely or at a discount under pressure: By extension, it can describe selling any asset or product well before its optimal time or under unfavorable conditions, often due to urgent need for cash, resulting in a financial loss or lower profit.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nông dân đôi khi phải bán non lúa vì cần tiền gấp. (Farmers sometimes have to sell their rice crop prematurely because they need money urgently.)
  • Anh ta đã bán non cổ phiếu và lỗ rất nặng. (He sold the stocks prematurely and incurred a heavy loss.)
  • Việc bán non nông sản có thể khiến nông dân thiệt thòi. (Selling crops forward can leave farmers at a disadvantage.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bán non" vs. "Bán trước": While both can involve selling before harvest, "bán non" strongly implies immaturity and a disadvantageous price due to urgency or need. "Bán trước" (to sell in advance) is more neutral and can be part of a formal futures contract.
• Economic Context: The term highlights a power imbalance or vulnerability, where the seller is forced by circumstance to accept a lower price, often seen in agricultural supply chains.

Variants and Related Words

• Bán đứt (verb): To sell outright, to sell off completely. Often used for assets.
• Bán tống bán tháo (idiomatic verb): To sell in a panic, to sell off hastily at any price.
• Bán trước (verb): To sell in advance, to pre-sell.

Synonyms

• Vendre sur pied (French loan concept): The direct equivalent, meaning "to sell on the root/stalk."
• To sell forward (under duress): This captures the economic action and the pressured context.
• To sell prematurely: A general synonym focusing on the timing aspect.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Bán non bán già: An idiom meaning to sell things (often small goods) in a haphazard or piecemeal way, not necessarily related to crops. It emphasizes irregular or unplanned selling.
  • Cô ấy bán non bán già mấy món đồ cũ trong nhà. (She sold off various old items in the house here and there.)

Notes on Meaning

• The core concept is a transaction defined by premature timing and an unfavorable price for the seller, driven by necessity rather than strategy. It is not a formal futures contract but an informal, often distress-based, agreement.
• The "non" (young, immature) directly refers to the state of the crop, metaphorically extending to any asset not yet at its peak value.

verb

1. To sell (crops) in ears (at cheap price)