Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pawn; to pledge: To give a personal possession to someone as security for money borrowed, with the agreement that it can be reclaimed upon repayment.
   • To keep a gambling house; to run a gambling den: To operate a place where illegal gambling activities are hosted for profit.
   • (Archaic) To pledge or bind in a relationship: To enter into a binding union or partnership, most commonly used in the context of marriage.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy phải gá chiếc đồng hồ để có tiền. (He had to pawn his watch to get money.)
  • Bọn tội phạm bị bắt vì gá bạc. (The criminals were arrested for running a gambling den.)
  • Họ gá nghĩa vợ chồng vào mùa xuân năm ấy. (They pledged themselves as husband and wife that spring.)

Advanced Usage

• "gá thổ đổ hồ": (Archaic, derogatory) To run a brothel or a gambling den; to engage in a disreputable profession.
  • Khu đó nổi tiếng vì có nhiều sòng bạc gá thổ đổ hồ. (That area is notorious for having many dens that run gambling and prostitution.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gá nghĩa (v): (Archaic) To pledge love; to get married.

  • Câu chuyện kể về đôi trai gái gá nghĩa với nhau. (The story is about a young couple who pledged their love to each other.)

• Gá duyên (v): (Archaic) To bind in matrimony; to form a marital bond.

  • Hai gia đình mong muốn cho con cái họ gá duyên. (The two families wished for their children to be united in marriage.)

Synonyms

• Pawn: To deposit as security for a loan.
• Pledge: To commit by a solemn promise.
• Operate: To manage or run (a business, often illicit).

Related Idioms

• Gá của ăn của để: To pawn valuable family assets. Implies pawning items that are meant to be preserved for future generations.
  • Không đến bước đường cùng thì đừng gá của ăn của để. (Don't pawn the family treasures unless you are in dire straits.)

verb

1. to pawn; to pledge
   • gá bạc
     to keep a gambling-house
   • gá nghĩa vợ chồng
     to get married