Definition

1. Verb:
   • To mortgage, to pledge, to pawn: "cầm cố" refers to the act of giving an item of value (such as property, land, or personal belongings) to a lender as security for a loan. The borrower retains ownership but the lender holds the item until the loan is repaid.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy phải cầm cố mảnh đất của gia đình để vay tiền kinh doanh. (He had to mortgage his family's land to borrow money for business.)
  • Trong cơn khó khăn, bà ấy đã cầm cố chiếc vòng vàng duy nhất. (During hard times, she pawned her only gold bracelet.)
  • Công ty dự định cầm cố tài sản để huy động vốn. (The company plans to pledge its assets to raise capital.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị cầm cố": to be mortgaged/pawned.
  • Căn nhà đã bị cầm cố tại ngân hàng. (The house has been mortgaged at the bank.)
• "hợp đồng cầm cố": mortgage/pledge contract.
  • Hai bên đã ký hợp đồng cầm cố đầy đủ. (Both parties signed a complete pledge contract.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sự cầm cố (Noun): The act of mortgaging or pawning; the state of being held as security.
  • Sự cầm cố tài sản phải được đăng ký theo luật. (The mortgaging of assets must be registered by law.)
• Đồ cầm cố (Noun): The pledged/pwned item.
  • Đồ cầm cố sẽ được hoàn trả khi khoản vay được thanh toán. (The pawned item will be returned when the loan is settled.)
• Cầm đồ (Verb): A more common/colloquial term specifically for pawning personal items, often at a pawnshop.
  • Ông ấy sống bằng nghề cầm đồ. (He makes a living from pawning.)

Synonyms

• Thế chấp (Verb): To mortgage, to secure (a loan). Often used for real estate or large assets within a formal banking context. "Cầm cố" can be used more broadly for both real property and movable assets.
• Đem cầm (Verb): To take something to pawn (colloquial).

Related Phrases / Idioms

(Note: "Cầm cố" itself is not typically part of idioms. The related term "cầm đồ" is used instead.) - Vào sinh ra tử, có nhau từ thuở cầm cố (Idiom using "cầm đồ"): A saying highlighting deep loyalty, implying a friendship that has existed since the days of pawning items together (i.e., through thick and thin).

1. To mortgage
   • cầm cố ruộng vườn
     to mortgage field and garden