Definition

1. Verb:
   • To trade, to deal in: The primary meaning of "buôn" is to engage in the business of buying and selling goods for profit. It implies commercial activity, often on a significant or professional scale.
   • To traffic (in): In a negative or illicit context, "buôn" can mean to traffic in something illegal or immoral.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy buôn vải từ Hà Nội vào Sài Gòn. (He trades in cloth from Hanoi to Saigon.)
  • Bọn tội phạm buôn ma túy qua biên giới. (The criminals traffic drugs across the border.)
  • Họ buôn bán ở chợ này đã mấy chục năm. (They have been trading in this market for decades.)

Advanced Usage

• "buôn thần bán thánh": Literally "to trade gods and sell saints," meaning to engage in simony (the buying or selling of church offices) or, more broadly, to be hypocritical and exploit sacred things for profit.

  • Kẻ buôn thần bán thánh ấy không có chỗ đứng trong cộng đồng. (That person who trades in sacred things has no place in the community.)

• "buôn phấn bán son": Literally "to trade powder and sell rouge," a euphemism for prostitution.

  • Số phận của những người buôn phấn bán son thật đáng thương. (The fate of those who sell their charms is truly pitiful.)

Variants and Related Words

• Buôn bán (v): To trade, to do business. This is the most common compound form.

  • Công việc buôn bán của họ rất phát đạt. (Their trading business is very prosperous.)

• Bán buôn (v/adj): To sell wholesale; wholesale.

  • Cửa hàng này chỉ bán buôn. (This shop only sells wholesale.)

• Buôn làng (n): A village or hamlet (used primarily for ethnic minority communities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam).

  • Buôn làng của người Ê-đê rất đẹp. (The villages of the Ede people are very beautiful.)

Synonyms

• Trade: To buy and sell goods and services.
• Deal: To do business, especially in a particular product.
• Traffic: To deal or trade in something illegal (e.g., drugs, people).

Related Idioms

• Buôn dân bán nước: Literally "to trade the people and sell the country," meaning to be a traitor to one's nation.

  • Lịch sử lên án những kẻ buôn dân bán nước. (History condemns those who betray their country.)

• Buôn tàu buôn bè không bằng ăn dè hà tiện: An idiom meaning "Trading by boatfuls and raftfuls is not as profitable as being frugal and economical," emphasizing the value of thrift over large-scale but risky trade.

• Buôn thúng bán mẹt: Literally "to trade baskets and sell flat baskets," meaning to engage in small-scale, petty trade.

  • Bà cụ sống bằng nghề buôn thúng bán mẹt. (The old woman lives by petty trading.)

verb

1. To sell, to trade
   • đi buôn
     to go in for trade, to be a trader
   • buôn vải
     to trade in cloth
   • buôn tàu buôn bè không bằng ăn dè hà tiện
     trading by boatfuls and raftfuls is not so profitable as stinting oneself in food and practising economy; thrift is a great revenue; parsimony is the best revenue
   • bán buôn
     wholesale
   • giá bán buôn
     wholesale price
   • công ty bán buôn
     a wholesale firm
   • buôn nước bọt