dài long
Definition
- Idiom:
- To spend more than one earns; to live beyond one's means: This idiom describes the situation where expenses exceed income or resources, often leading to financial difficulty. It implies a mismatch between what one has and what one spends.
- To bite off more than one can chew: It can also metaphorically describe taking on a task or commitment that is too large or difficult to handle with one's current capabilities or resources.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Anh ta cứ dài long mãi thì sớm muộn gì cũng nợ nần chồng chất. (If he keeps living beyond his means, he will be buried in debt sooner or later.)
- Nhận thêm dự án này e là dài long, chúng ta không đủ nhân lực. (Taking on this additional project might be biting off more than we can chew; we don't have enough staff.)
- Chi tiêu phải cân đối với thu nhập, đừng để rơi vào cảnh dài long. (Spending must be balanced with income; don't let yourself fall into the situation of spending more than you earn.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is often used in advisory or cautionary contexts about personal finance, business management, or project planning.
- It can be used in a comparative structure to emphasize the disparity: (Income is short, but spending is long [beyond means].)
Variants and Related Words
- Vung tay quá trán: Another idiom meaning to spend money extravagantly or wastefully.
- Bóc ngắn cắn dài: A near-synonymous phrase with the same core meaning of spending more than one earns. This is the phrase referenced in the historical Vietnamese-French dictionary note.
- Làm quá sức: To overexert oneself; to do more than one's capacity allows.
Synonyms
- To overspend: To spend more money than one has or than is wise.
- To overextend oneself: To commit oneself to more work or financial obligation than one can manage.
Related Phrases
- Đầu tư dài long: To over-invest; to invest more capital than is sustainable or prudent.
- Công ty phá sản vì chiến lược đầu tư dài long. (The company went bankrupt due to an over-investment strategy.)
Related Idioms
- Ăn trước trả sau: To enjoy now and pay later (often implying debt).
- Lối sống ăn trước trả sau dễ dẫn đến dài long. (A "enjoy now, pay later" lifestyle easily leads to living beyond one's means.)
- Cố đấm ăn xôi: To push oneself excessively to gain something, often with great difficulty and risk.
- Anh ấy cố đấm ăn xôi mua căn nhà đó, giờ thành dài long rồi. (He strained himself to buy that house and is now in over his head.)