Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pledge an item as collateral for a debt: The primary meaning of "gán nợ" is to hand over a physical item (like jewelry, a valuable object, or property) to a creditor as security for a debt. The item is held until the debt is repaid.
   • To settle a debt by surrendering an asset: It implies using a possession to clear or offset an owed amount, often when cash is not available.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy phải gán nợ chiếc nhẫn vàng để trả tiền thuốc cho mẹ. (He had to pledge his gold ring to pay for his mother's medicine.)
  • Vì không có tiền, bà cụ đành gán nợ mảnh vườn cho chủ nợ. (Having no money, the old lady had to pledge her garden plot to the creditor.)
  • Cái xe đạp này là đồ tôi gán nợ đấy, không phải mua mới. (This bicycle is an item I used to settle a debt, it's not newly bought.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a connotation of financial hardship or desperation, where the debtor has no other option but to part with a personal belonging.
• It is typically used in informal or colloquial contexts related to personal debt, rather than formal banking transactions (which would use terms like "thế chấp" - to mortgage).

Variants and Related Words

• Cầm đồ / Cầm cố (verb): To pawn. While "gán nợ" is a broader term for pledging to settle a debt, "cầm đồ" specifically implies taking an item to a pawnshop for a loan.
• Thế chấp (verb): To mortgage, to use property as collateral (usually for a bank loan). This is a more formal and legal term.
• Trả nợ (verb): To repay a debt. This is the general term, while "gán nợ" specifies the method of repayment.

Synonyms

• Đưa vật làm tin trả nợ: To give an item as a pledge for debt repayment.
• Cầm cố trả nợ: To pawn an item to pay a debt.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Gán nợ đỡ: To pledge an item to temporarily relieve or defer a debt.
  • Hắn gán nợ đỡ cái đồng hồ để chủ nợ cho khất thêm vài ngày. (He pledged his watch to get the creditor to extend the deadline for a few days.)

Related Idioms

• While "gán nợ" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the concept relates to idioms about debt:
  • Nợ như chúa Chổm: To be deeply in debt (like Lord Chổm, a proverbial figure known for debt). A person in this situation might have to "gán nợ" many things.
  • Đầu tắt mặt tối vì trả nợ: To work tirelessly to pay off debts. "Gán nợ" might be a last resort before reaching this state of constant work.