Definition

1. Adverb (Khẩu ngữ - Colloquial):
   • At the lowest; at the very least; at a minimum: Used to indicate a conservative or minimum estimate, often when the actual amount or value could be higher. It emphasizes that even the smallest possible calculation or expectation is still a significant or acceptable figure.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Mỗi sào bỏ rẻ cũng được vài trăm cân thóc. (Each sao [a unit of area] at the very least will yield several hundred kilos of paddy.)
  • Căn nhà này bỏ rẻ cũng trị giá năm tỷ đồng. (This house is worth five billion dong at a minimum.)
  • Dự án đó bỏ rẻ cũng cần mười người tham gia. (That project needs ten participants at the lowest estimate.)

Advanced Usage

• "bỏ rẻ... cũng...": This is the most common grammatical structure. The phrase "bỏ rẻ" sets up a low-end estimate, and "cũng" (also, still) introduces the result or quantity that is valid even under that minimum condition. It's used for emphasis in assertions.
  • Anh ấy bỏ rẻ cũng có mười năm kinh nghiệm. (He has at least ten years of experience.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ít nhất: (Adverb) At least. This is the standard, more formal equivalent of "bỏ rẻ".
  • Ít nhất chúng ta cũng nên thử. (At least we should try.)
• Tối thiểu: (Adverb/Adjective) Minimum, minimal. Used for technical or formal contexts.
  • Mức lương tối thiểu (minimum wage)

Synonyms

• Tối thiểu: Minimum.
• Ít ra: At least.
• Cũng phải: (Has) to be at least (e.g., - Has to be at least five million).

Notes on Usage

• Register: "Bỏ rẻ" is primarily used in colloquial Vietnamese (khẩu ngữ) and informal speech. It is less common in formal writing.
• Function: It is used to emphasize that an estimate is conservative, often to persuade or to underline the significance or value of something by stating its lowest possible measure.
• Structure: It almost always appears in the pattern: [Subject/Topic] + bỏ rẻ + cũng + [Verb/Quantity].
• Nuance: Unlike the neutral "ít nhất," "bỏ rẻ" often carries a slight rhetorical flourish, implying the speaker believes the actual figure is likely higher.

khẩu ngữ

1. At the lowest
   • mỗi sào bỏ rẻ cũng được vài trăm cân thóc
     each sao at the lowest will yield several hundred kilos of paddy