dè xẻn
Definition
- Verb:
- To be parsimonious; to be stingy: To be extremely careful and reluctant in spending money or using resources, often to an excessive degree.
- To save little by little; to economize meticulously: To save or set aside resources through very small, careful amounts over time.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông ấy rất dè xẻn khi chi tiêu cho gia đình. (He is very parsimonious when spending for his family.)
- Cô ấy dè xẻn từng đồng để mua một món quà cho mẹ. (She saved every last penny to buy a gift for her mother.)
- Sống dè xẻn giúp họ tiết kiệm được một khoản tiền. (Living frugally helped them save a sum of money.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a careful, calculated, and sometimes excessive approach to saving, beyond simple thriftiness. It can carry a slightly negative connotation of being overly tight-fisted.
Variants and Related Words
- Dè dặt (adj): cautious, reserved, or restrained, often in speech or action, not specifically with money.
- Keo kiệt (adj): miserly, stingy; a stronger, more negative term for being unwilling to spend money.
- Tiết kiệm (v): to save, to economize; a more neutral and common term for saving resources.
Synonyms
- To be stingy: To be unwilling to give or spend.
- To be frugal: To be sparing or economical with resources.
- To be thrifty: To use money and other resources carefully and not wastefully.
- To scrimp: To be very economical or sparing.
Related Idioms
- Dè xẻn từng li từng tí: To be stingy with every little bit; to pinch every penny.
- Bà ấy dè xẻn từng li từng tí, không bao giờ lãng phí. (She pinches every penny, never wasting anything.)
verb
-
to be parsimonious; to save little by little
