Definition

1. Verb:
   • To compensate: To pay money or provide something of value to someone for a loss, injury, or damage they have suffered.
   • To reimburse: To repay someone for expenses incurred due to a loss or damage for which you are responsible.
   • To indemnify: To secure someone against legal liability for their losses, often used in formal or insurance contexts.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Công ty bảo hiểm sẽ bồi thường thiệt hại. (The insurance company will compensate for the damages.)
  • Người gây tai nạn phải bồi thường cho nạn nhân. (The person who caused the accident must compensate the victim.)
  • Luật pháp yêu cầu bồi thường đầy đủ. (The law requires full compensation.)

Advanced Usage

• "bồi thường thiệt hại": to compensate for damages/losses. This is a common legal and contractual phrase.

  • Tòa án ra lệnh bồi thường thiệt hại về tinh thần. (The court ordered compensation for emotional damages.)

• "bồi thường chiến tranh": to pay war reparations.

  • Nước bại trận phải bồi thường chiến tranh. (The defeated nation had to pay war reparations.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đền bù (v): to compensate, to make amends. Often used interchangeably with "bồi thường" but can imply a more general making up for something.

  • Họ tìm cách đền bù cho lỗi lầm. (They seek to make amends for the mistake.)

• Bồi hoàn (v): to refund, to reimburse (often for money).

  • Khách sạn bồi hoàn tiền đặt cọc. (The hotel refunded the deposit.)

Synonyms

• Compensate: To give someone something, typically money, in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury.
• Reimburse: To repay (money) to someone who has spent or lost it.
• Indemnify: To protect someone by promising to pay for any loss or damage they suffer.

Related Idioms

• Bồi thường gấp đôi: to pay double compensation.

  • Theo hợp đồng, vi phạm sẽ phải bồi thường gấp đôi. (According to the contract, a violation requires double compensation.)

• Ăn cây nào rào cây ấy (idiom related to responsibility): Literally "eat from which tree, fence that tree," meaning one must take responsibility for and protect what one benefits from. This relates to the principle behind compensation.

  • Anh gây ra lỗi, anh phải chịu trách nhiệm, ăn cây nào rào cây ấy. (You caused the mistake, you must take responsibility; you reap what you sow.)

verb

1. To pay damages, to pay compensation for
   • bồi thường cho gia đình người bị nạn
     to pay damages to the family of the casualties of the accident