bo bíu
Definition
- Adjective:
- In a state of financial hardship or living in straitened circumstances: Describes a situation of being short of money, living frugally out of necessity, or experiencing economic difficulty.
- Stingy, miserly (in a negative, critical sense): Can imply being excessively tight-fisted or parsimonious, often to the point of being ungenerous.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Gia đình họ đang sống trong cảnh bo bíu. (Their family is living in a state of financial hardship.)
- Anh ta bo bíu đến mức không muốn mua một món quà nhỏ cho con. (He is so stingy that he doesn't want to buy a small gift for his child.)
- Sau khi mất việc, họ phải bo bíu từng đồng. (After losing his job, they had to scrimp and save every penny.)
Advanced Usage
- "sống bo bíu": to live in poverty/penury, to live a hand-to-mouth existence.
- Cả đời ông ấy sống bo bíu, không dám tiêu xài gì. (He lived in penury all his life, not daring to spend on anything.)
- "tính bo bíu": a stingy, miserly character.
- Đừng có tính bo bíu như thế, đôi khi cũng phải biết chia sẻ. (Don't be so stingy; sometimes you need to know how to share.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bíu bo: A variant form with the same meaning as "bo bíu". It is less commonly used.
- Cuộc sống bíu bo khiến họ luôn lo lắng. (A life of hardship keeps them constantly worried.)
- Bủn xỉn (adj): A stronger synonym for stingy, miserly.
- Túng thiếu (adj): Needy, destitute, lacking the necessities of life. Focuses more on the state of need than the behavioral aspect.
Synonyms
- Keo kiệt: Stingy, miserly.
- Chắt bóp: To scrimp and save, to be frugal (can be neutral or slightly negative).
- Sống chật vật: To live in struggle, to have a hard life.
Related Phrases
- Bo bo giữ của: To cling tightly to one's possessions, to be extremely unwilling to spend.
- Ông cụ bo bo giữ của, không chịu giúp đỡ ai. (The old man clings tightly to his possessions and refuses to help anyone.)
- Bíu ríu: (Colloquial, Southern Vietnamese) To be in a tight spot, often financially; to be entangled in difficulties.
Related Idioms
- Đồng bạc xắt làm đôi: (Lit. to cut a coin in half) To be extremely frugal or stingy.
- Bà ấy tiêu tiền kiểu đồng bạc xắt làm đôi. (She spends money as if cutting a coin in half – she's extremely frugal.)
- Vắt cổ chày ra nước: (Lit. to wring water out of a rice pestle) To try to get something from someone who has nothing, emphasizing extreme poverty or stinginess.