bó chiếu
Definition
Idiom: - To be extremely poor; to be destitute; to be penniless: "bó chiếu" literally means "to wrap [a corpse] in a mat." It is an idiom describing a state of such extreme poverty that one cannot afford a proper coffin, having to use a simple straw mat for burial instead. It signifies complete financial ruin or destitution.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Sau trận lũ, nhiều gia đình rơi vào cảnh bó chiếu. (After the flood, many families were left destitute.)
- Công ty phá sản, ông chủ giờ đã bó chiếu. (The company went bankrupt, and the owner is now penniless.)
- Đừng tiêu xài hoang phí, rồi sẽ đến lúc bó chiếu đấy. (Don't spend wastefully, or you'll end up in poverty.)
Advanced Usage
- The idiom is often used in a hyperbolic or figurative sense to emphasize a severe lack of money or resources, not necessarily referring to an actual death.
- It can describe the final, irreversible state of financial failure for a person, family, or business.
Variants and Related Words
- Nghèo rớt mồng tơi: (Idiom) To be dirt poor. (A similar idiom emphasizing extreme poverty.)
- Trắng tay: (Adjective/Idiom) To lose everything; to be left with nothing.
- Phá sản: (Verb/Noun) To go bankrupt; bankruptcy.
Synonyms
- Túng quẫn: (Adjective) To be in dire straits; financially hard up.
- Khánh kiệt: (Adjective) To be exhausted (of resources); bankrupt.
- Bần cùng: (Adjective) Impoverished; destitute.
Related Idioms
- Chết không có manh chiếu bó: To die so poor that one doesn't even have a mat to be wrapped in. (An even stronger variant of the same concept.)
- Ăn bữa hôm lo bữa mai: To live hand to mouth. (Describes ongoing poverty rather than a final state of ruin.)