Definition

1. Verb:
   • To trade in money illegally: The primary meaning of "buôn tiền" refers to the illegal buying and selling of currency, typically on the black market, outside of authorized financial institutions and regulations. This involves profiting from exchange rate differentials.
   • To engage in currency speculation: It can describe speculative activities involving large amounts of cash, often in a clandestine or unregulated manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Bọn tội phạm bị bắt vì buôn tiền giả. (The criminals were arrested for trading in counterfeit money.)
  • Hoạt động buôn tiền ngoại tệ bị pháp luật nghiêm cấm. (The activity of illegally trading foreign currency is strictly prohibited by law.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a large-scale, organized, and illicit commercial activity, distinct from legal currency exchange or personal money changing.

Variants and Related Words

• Buôn bạc (v): to trade in silver; historically, this was a similar illicit trade, and the terms are often used interchangeably in a modern context to mean illegal currency trading.
• Buôn lậu (v): to smuggle. While broader, it can be related when referring to smuggling currency.
• Đầu cơ tiền tệ (n): currency speculation (a more formal, often legal term).

Synonyms

• To trade currency illegally
• To deal in black-market money
• To traffic in currency

Related Idioms

• While "buôn tiền" itself is a specific term, it is conceptually linked to idioms about illicit gain, such as:
  • Làm tiền phi pháp: to make money illegally.
  • Buôn gian bán lận: to engage in fraudulent business.

1. như buôn bạc