bóp chắt

Bà ấy phải bóp chắt từng đồng để mua sách cho con.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To scrimp and save; to be extremely frugal: "bóp chắt" describes the action of saving money or resources in a very tight, careful, and often difficult manner, usually out of necessity. It implies economizing to the smallest unit, sacrificing comfort or necessities.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình anh ấy phải bóp chắt từng đồng để lo cho các con ăn học. (His family has to scrimp and save every penny to support their children's education.)
  • Bà ấy bóp chắt chi tiêu cả tháng chỉ để mua một món quà sinh nhật cho cháu. (She scrimped on expenses all month just to buy a birthday gift for her grandchild.)
  • Chúng tôi phải bóp chắt ngân sách để hoàn thành dự án. (We had to pinch every penny in the budget to complete the project.)

Advanced Usage

• "bóp chắt từng đồng" / "bóp chắt từng xu": to scrimp and save every single penny/cent. This phrase intensifies the meaning, emphasizing extreme frugality down to the smallest monetary unit.
  • Họ sống bằng cách bóp chắt từng đồng từ số tiền lương ít ỏi. (They live by scrimping and saving every penny from their meager salary.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bóp bụng (verb): to tighten one's belt; to endure hardship, often by spending very little on food or basic needs. It is closely related but can have a stronger connotation of physical deprivation.

  • Họ phải bóp bụng qua ngày. (They had to tighten their belts to get through the day.)

• Chi li (adjective/adverb): meticulous, penny-pinching. It describes a careful, detailed, and often excessively frugal attitude towards money or resources.

  • Bà chủ tính toán rất chi li. (The owner calculates things very meticulously/penny-pinches.)

Synonyms

• Tằn tiện (verb/adjective): to be thrifty/frugal, often with a slightly less harsh connotation than "bóp chắt." It can be a positive trait.
• Keo kiệt (adjective): stingy, miserly. This has a negative connotation of being unwilling to spend money, unlike "bóp chắt," which often arises from necessity.
• Tiết kiệm (verb): to save, to economize. This is the general, neutral term for saving money.

Related Idioms

• "Đồng tiền bát gạo": (literally: a coin, a bowl of rice) This idiom refers to the hardship of earning a living and the value of money and food, often used in contexts where one must be very careful with resources, similar to the spirit of "bóp chắt."
  • Biết thế nào là đồng tiền bát gạo mới hiểu phải bóp chắt. (Only when you know the value of "a coin, a bowl of rice" do you understand the need to scrimp and save.)