Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To have to do with, to concern, to relate to: "can cớ" expresses a connection, involvement, or relevance between one thing and another. It is used to indicate that something is related to or affects someone or something else.
   • To be someone's business: It can also imply that a matter falls under someone's concern or responsibility.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Việc này không can cớ gì đến tôi. (This matter has nothing to do with me. / This is none of my business.)
  • Chuyện gia đình họ can cớ gì đến anh? (What does their family matter have to do with you?)
  • Những quyết định đó can cớ trực tiếp đến tương lai của công ty. (Those decisions directly concern the company's future.)

Advanced Usage

• "Không can cớ gì đến...": This is the most common negative construction, meaning "to have nothing to do with..." or "to be none of someone's business."

  • Chính trị không can cớ gì đến một nhà khoa học thuần túy. (Politics has nothing to do with a pure scientist.)

• "Can cớ gì đến...?": Used in rhetorical questions to challenge someone's involvement or to express that something should not concern them.

  • Can cớ gì đến cậu mà cậu phải lên tiếng? (What does it have to do with you that you have to speak up?)

Variants and Related Words

• Liên can (verb): To be involved, to be implicated. This is a more common modern synonym.

  • Anh ta bị bắt vì liên can đến vụ cướp. (He was arrested for being involved in the robbery.)

• Dính dáng (verb): To be connected to, to be involved with (often with a slightly negative connotation).

  • Tôi không muốn dính dáng đến chuyện rắc rối đó. (I don't want to be involved in that trouble.)

Synonyms

• Liên quan đến: To relate to, to be related to.
• Có liên hệ với: To have a connection with.
• Thuộc về trách nhiệm của: To be the responsibility of (in the sense of "being one's business").

Notes on Usage

• Formality: "Can cớ" is considered somewhat formal and is less common in everyday spoken Vietnamese than synonyms like "liên quan" or "dính dáng." It is often found in written language or formal speech.
• Structure: It is almost always used in the structure "can cớ (gì) đến + [someone/something]".
• Negation: The phrase is most frequently used in the negative form ("không can cớ gì đến...") to deny any connection or responsibility.

1. Have to do with
   • Việc này không can cớ gì đến tôi
     I have nothing to do with it