cá gỗ
Definition
- Noun:
- A stingy/miserly person: "cá gỗ" is a humorous and somewhat derogatory term used to describe a person who is extremely stingy, miserly, or parsimonious. The term originates from a humorous folk tale about a miser who used a wooden fish as a prop to eat rice, pretending to have a side dish to save money.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Đừng hòng anh cá gỗ ấy bỏ tiền ra để giúp người khác. (Don't expect that miser to spend money to help others.)
- Ông chủ đó nổi tiếng là một tay cá gỗ. (That boss is famously known as a miser.)
Advanced Usage
- Used as a predicate noun: Often follows a classifier like "tay" (hand/expert), "anh" (guy), or "gã" (fellow) to refer to the person.
- Hắn đúng là một tay cá gỗ chính hiệu. (He is a certified miser.)
Variants and Related Words
- Keo kiệt (adj/n): Stingy, miserly. A more common and direct synonym.
- Hà tiện (adj): Parsimonious, frugal to an extreme. Can be used as an adjective.
- Bủn xỉn (adj): Mean, tight-fisted. A colloquial term for stinginess.
Synonyms
- Miser: A person who hoards wealth and spends as little as possible.
- Skinflint: A person who is excessively unwilling to spend money.
- Scrooge: A person who is miserly (from the character Ebenezer Scrooge in ).
Related Idioms
- Ăn cá gỗ: (To eat wooden fish) To live or act in an extremely stingy manner, referencing the origin story.
- Cả đời ông ấy chỉ biết ăn cá gỗ. (His whole life, he only knew how to be a miser.)
- Keo như cá gỗ: (As stingy as a wooden fish) An idiom emphasizing extreme stinginess.
- Bác ấy keo như cá gỗ, chẳng bao giờ mời ai cái gì. (He is as stingy as a wooden fish, never treats anyone to anything.)
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(xấu) Miserly
