Definition

1. Adjective:

   • (To be) worthwhile / worth the effort: Used to express that the result or gain from an action is not sufficient to justify the time, cost, or effort invested. It often implies a sense of disappointment or trivial return.
   • (To be) adequate / sufficient: Used to state that an amount or outcome is insufficient or paltry in relation to what is needed or expected.

2. Verb (to be worthwhile / to be adequate): Functions as a predicate adjective, typically in the negative structure "chẳng bõ bèn gì" or "bõ bèn gì" to mean "is not worth it" or "is inadequate."

Usage Examples

• Adjective/Verb:
  • Câu suốt buổi, được từng ấy thì chẳng bõ bèn gì. (Fishing all afternoon for a catch that small is not worth it.)
  • Cần rất nhiều mà chỉ được bấy nhiêu thì bõ bèn gì. (We need a great deal, but getting only that much is utterly inadequate.)
  • Cả ngày sửa máy tính chỉ để cài lại Windows? Chẳng bõ bèn! (Spending the whole day fixing the computer just to reinstall Windows? Not worth the effort!)

Advanced Usage

• The word is almost exclusively used in negative or rhetorical question constructions to emphasize insufficiency. The common pattern is "chẳng/không bõ bèn gì" or "bõ bèn gì" (meaning "what's the point?" or "it's not worth it").
• It carries a colloquial and slightly emphatic tone, often expressing frustration or dismissal.

Variants and Related Words

• Bõ (adj/v): A more common, slightly less emphatic synonym meaning "worthwhile." Example: (Doing that isn't worth it.)
• Đáng (adj): Means "deserving" or "worth." It is more neutral and versatile. Example: (Worth the work.)

Synonyms

• Worthwhile: Sufficiently valuable to justify the effort.
• Adequate: Satisfactory or acceptable in quantity or quality.
• Sufficient: Enough to meet the needs of a situation.

Related Idioms

• Chẳng bõ bèn gì: The standard idiomatic phrase meaning "it's not worth it at all," "it's pointless," or "it's a paltry return."
  • Đi xa cả tiếng đồng hồ để ăn một bát phở chẳng bõ bèn gì. (Traveling for a whole hour to eat a bowl of pho is not worth it at all.)

1. tính từ, động từ
2. (To be) worthwhile
   • câu suốt buổi, được từng ấy thì chẳng bõ bèn gì
     a small catch like that for a whole afternoon's fishing is not worth while
3. (To be) adequate, (to be) sufficient
   • cần rất nhiều mà chỉ được bấy nhiêu thì bõ bèn gì
     the requirement is great, but such a supply is inadequate indeed