chạy bữa
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To scramble for daily meals; to struggle to make ends meet for each meal: This phrase describes the act of exerting great effort, often in a frantic or desperate manner, to secure enough food or money for one's next meal or immediate survival. It implies a state of poverty or financial instability where providing for basic sustenance is a constant, pressing challenge.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Gia đình anh ấy rất nghèo, ngày nào cũng phải chạy bữa. (His family is very poor; they have to scramble for daily meals every single day.)
- Sau khi mất việc, ông ấy phải đi làm đủ thứ việc lặt vặt để chạy bữa. (After losing his job, he had to do all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet for each meal.)
Advanced Usage
- "Chạy bữa qua ngày": To scrape by day by day; to live hand-to-mouth.
- Họ sống một cuộc sống chạy bữa qua ngày, không biết ngày mai sẽ ra sao. (They live a hand-to-mouth existence, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chạy ăn (verb phrase): To hustle for food; a very close synonym often used interchangeably with "chạy bữa."
- Chạy vạy (verb): To bustle about; to run around busily (often for money or basic needs). While broader, it can be used in similar contexts of struggling for subsistence.
- Kiếm sống qua ngày (verb phrase): To eke out a living day by day.
Synonyms
- Struggle for subsistence: Đấu tranh cho sự sinh tồn.
- Live hand-to-mouth: Sống tay làm hàm nhai.
Related Idioms
- "Đầu tắt mặt tối": Literally "head extinguished, face dark"; meaning to work from dawn till dusk, tirelessly busy. This idiom often describes the relentless labor associated with "chạy bữa."
- Cả đời ông ấy đầu tắt mặt tối chỉ để chạy bữa cho gia đình. (His whole life, he worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk just to put food on the table for his family.)