Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sell at a low price; to sell cheaply: The primary meaning refers to the act of selling goods or services for a price significantly lower than the usual or perceived value.
   • To sell out; to betray (often moral principles) for personal gain: A figurative meaning describing the act of compromising one's integrity, values, or conscience for a low or unworthy reward.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (to sell cheaply):

  • Cửa hàng đang bán rẻ quần áo mùa đông. (The store is selling winter clothes cheaply.)
  • Anh ấy phải bán rẻ chiếc xe vì cần tiền gấp. (He had to sell his car at a low price because he needed money urgently.)

• Figurative meaning (to sell out/betray):

  • Không nên bán rẻ lương tâm của mình vì lợi ích vật chất. (One should not sell out one's conscience for material benefits.)
  • Hắn ta đã bán rẻ danh dự để được thăng chức. (He sold his honor cheaply to get a promotion.)

Advanced Usage

• "bán rẻ mình": to devalue oneself; to compromise one's self-worth or dignity.

  • Cô ấy cảm thấy mình đã bán rẻ mình khi chấp nhận công việc đó. (She felt she had sold herself short when she accepted that job.)

• "bán rẻ đi": often used as an imperative or suggestion to sell something off cheaply to dispose of it.

  • Đồ cũ rồi, bán rẻ đi cho nhanh. (It's old stuff, just sell it off cheaply to be done with it.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bán phá giá (verb): to dump (goods); to sell at a loss or below cost, often in an international trade context.

  • Công ty bị cáo buộc bán phá giá sản phẩm. (The company was accused of dumping its products.)

• Bán tháo (verb): to sell off in a hurry (e.g., assets, stocks), often due to panic, not necessarily at a low price, but the haste can lead to lower prices.

  • Các nhà đầu tư bán tháo cổ phiếu. (Investors are selling off their stocks.)

Synonyms

• Hạ giá bán (verb phrase): to reduce the selling price.
• Bán đổ bán tháo (idiomatic verb phrase): to sell off hastily and desperately.
• Phản bội (verb): to betray (closer to the figurative sense of moral betrayal).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a compound verb, 'bán rẻ' itself functions similarly to a phrasal verb. Related Vietnamese phrases often use 'bán' (to sell) with other complements. - Bán đứt (verb phrase): to sell outright; to sell off completely. - Họ quyết định bán đứt mảnh đất. (They decided to sell the plot of land outright.)

• Bán tống bán tháo (idiomatic verb phrase): to sell off in a frantic, disorderly manner (stronger than 'bán tháo').
  • Cửa hàng bán tống bán tháo hàng tồn kho. (The store is frantically selling off its inventory.)

Related Idioms

• Bán rẻ như bèo (idiom): to sell as cheaply as duckweed (i.e., dirt cheap).

  • Mặt hàng này giờ bán rẻ như bèo. (This item is now being sold dirt cheap.)

• Bán rẻ lương tâm (common collocation): to sell one's conscience (a specific and very common use of the figurative meaning).

  • Anh ta là kẻ bán rẻ lương tâm. (He is someone who sells his conscience.)