Definition

Adverb/Adjective phrase: - Not to be worth-while, not worth the effort: Used to express that the result, benefit, or reward of an action is insufficient or does not justify the effort, time, or cost expended. It conveys a sense of something being not worthwhile, not worth it, or not compensating for the trouble.

Usage Examples

• Basic Usage:
  • Ăn một bữa cỗ chẳng bõ đi mười cây số. (Attending a feast is not worth walking ten kilometers for.)
  • Làm việc đó mất cả ngày mà công nhận chẳng bõ. (Doing that work took the whole day, and the recognition was not worth it.)
  • Ăn ít như thế chẳng bõ dính răng. (Eating so little is hardly worth getting your teeth dirty for.)

Advanced Usage Notes

• "chẳng bõ" vs. "không đáng": While both can mean "not worth," "chẳng bõ" strongly emphasizes a cost-benefit analysis where the cost (effort, time, trouble) outweighs the meager benefit. It often carries a tone of regret or complaint.
• Common Structure: The phrase typically follows a description of an action and precedes or implies the associated cost or effort.
  • [Action/Result] + chẳng bõ + [implied or stated effort/cost].
  • Cố gắng thế chẳng bõ. (Trying that hard isn't worth it.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chẳng đáng: Not worthy, not deserving. (Focuses more on value or merit than on effort expended).
• Không xứng: Not commensurate, not matching. (Often used for mismatches in status or value).
• Bõ công: (To be) worth the effort. (This is the positive counterpart to "chẳng bõ").
  • Làm thế này mới bõ công. (Doing it this way is worth the effort.)

Synonyms

• Không đáng công: Not worth the labor/work.
• Vô ích: Futile, in vain. (Emphasizes uselessness rather than a poor cost-benefit ratio).
• Phí công: Wasted effort.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Chẳng bõ bèn gì: A reinforced form meaning "not worthwhile in the slightest," "utterly not worth it."
  • Giúp hắn xong, chẳng bõ bèn gì. (After helping him, it was utterly not worth it.)
• Công dã tràng: Literally "the sand-crab's labor," meaning futile, Sisyphean labor. This idiom shares the theme of wasted effort with "chẳng bõ" but is more poetic.

1. Not to be worth-while