Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Individually, separately, on one's own: Describes an action done by a single person, independently, not as part of a group, team, or cooperative.
   • Sporadically, in a scattered manner: Can describe things occurring or being done in a scattered, unorganized, or isolated fashion.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy thích làm việc cá lẻ hơn là làm việc nhóm. (He prefers to work individually / on his own rather than in a team.)
  • Nhiều nông dân trong vùng vẫn canh tác cá lẻ. (Many farmers in the region still farm individually / outside of a cooperative.)
  • Những ý kiến phản đối nổi lên cá lẻ. (Opposing opinions emerged sporadically / in a scattered manner.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm ăn cá lẻ": To do business individually/independently.

  • Sau khi công ty giải thể, ông ấy quyết định làm ăn cá lẻ. (After the company dissolved, he decided to do business on his own.)

• "Hoạt động cá lẻ": To operate individually/separately.

  • Các chiến sĩ du kích đôi khi phải hoạt động cá lẻ. (Guerrilla fighters sometimes had to operate separately.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lẻ (adj/adverb): Odd, single, separate. Can be used similarly in some contexts (e.g., - to buy retail/single items; - to sit alone).
• Cá nhân (adj/noun): Personal, individual. Refers more to the private sphere or a single person as a noun.
• Đơn lẻ (adj): Isolated, solitary, single. Often used as an adjective (e.g., - an isolated event).

Synonyms

• Riêng lẻ: Separately, individually.
• Độc lập: Independently (emphasizes autonomy).
• Từng người một: One by one, individually.

Related Phrases

• Đánh cá lẻ (in military/strategy context): To engage in scattered, guerrilla-style fighting.
  • Quân địch bị đánh cá lẻ nên rất hoang mang. (The enemy forces were engaged in a scattered manner, causing great confusion.)

Related Idioms

• "Một cây làm chẳng nên non, ba cây chụm lại nên hòn núi cao": This proverb contrasts individual effort () with the power of collective action, implying that working alone has limitations.