Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Fat; plump: Describes a person or animal having a large amount of body fat or flesh; the opposite of thin or skinny.
   • Greasy; oily: Describes food that contains or is cooked with a lot of fat or oil, giving it a rich, heavy quality.
   • Fertile; rich: Describes land that is rich in nutrients and highly productive for growing crops.
   • Profitable; lucrative (colloquial): Describes a situation or action that results in financial gain or enrichment, often for a specific group.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Con lợn này rất béo. (This pig is very fat.)
  • Món khoai tây chiên này hơi béo. (This french fries dish is a bit greasy.)
  • Cánh đồng phù sa đất rất béo. (The alluvial field has very rich/fertile soil.)
  • Giao dịch đó chỉ béo cho các nhà đầu tư lớn. (That deal only enriches the big investors.)

Advanced Usage

• "béo bở": very profitable, a real windfall.

  • Hợp đồng này là một món béo bở. (This contract is a very lucrative deal.)

• "đục nước béo cò": to fish in troubled waters; to profit from a chaotic situation.

  • Công ty đó chuyên đục nước béo cò trong các cuộc khủng hoảng. (That company specializes in profiteering from crises.)

Variants and Related Words

• Beo béo (adj): slightly fat, somewhat greasy. A reduplicated form indicating a lesser degree.

  • Thịt kho hơi beo béo. (The braised pork is a little bit greasy.)

• Béo phì (adj): obese, clinically overweight.

  • Tỷ lệ trẻ em béo phì đang gia tăng. (The rate of childhood obesity is increasing.)

• Chất béo (n): fat (as a substance or nutrient).

  • Nên hạn chế chất béo bão hòa. (You should limit saturated fats.)

Synonyms

• Fat: having much flesh.
• Greasy: containing much oil or fat.
• Fertile: (of land) producing abundant vegetation.
• Lucrative: producing a great profit.

Related Idioms

• Béo như con cun cút: as fat as a quail; very plump.

  • Sau Tết, ai cũng béo như con cun cút. (After Tet holiday, everyone is as plump as a quail.)

• Béo tai: (literally: fat ear) to have one's ear pulled; to get a scolding.

  • Nghịch ngợm thế, mai mốt béo tai đấy. (Misbehave like that, and you'll get your ear pulled/get a scolding one of these days.)

adj

1. Fat
   • béo như con cun cút
     as fat as a quail
   • vỗ lợn cho béo
     to fatten pigs
   • chất béo
     fat
   • đất béo
     fat land
2. Greasy
   • món thịt xào béo quá
     a too greasy browned meat

khẩu ngữ

1. Making rich
   • chỉ béo bọn con buôn
     it will only feather the traffickers' nests, it will only help the traffickers make a packet