Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very thrifty, extremely frugal: Describes a person who is excessively careful with money, spending as little as possible and avoiding any waste. It often carries a connotation of being overly stingy or miserly.
   • Parsimonious, penny-pinching: Emphasizes a grudging or reluctant attitude towards spending, even on necessary things.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông ấy sống rất hà tằn hà tiện, không bao giờ mua sắm gì mới. (He lives very frugally, never buying anything new.)
  • Tính cách hà tằn hà tiện của bà ta khiến mọi người khó chịu. (Her penny-pinching personality makes everyone uncomfortable.)
  • Họ tiết kiệm hà tằn hà tiện để dành tiền cho con đi học. (They save money very thriftily to pay for their child's education.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "hà tằn hà tiện" is an idiomatic reduplication of "hà tiện" (stingy). The repetition intensifies the meaning, emphasizing extreme stinginess or frugality. It is more expressive and vivid than using "hà tiện" alone.
  • So với "hà tiện", "hà tằn hà tiện" nhấn mạnh hơn về mức độ keo kiệt. (Compared to "hà tiện", "hà tằn hà tiện" emphasizes a higher degree of miserliness.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hà tiện (adj): Stingy, miserly. This is the root word.
  • Anh ta bị coi là người hà tiện. (He is considered a stingy person.)
• Keo kiệt (adj): Stingy, tight-fisted. A close synonym.
  • Bố tôi không keo kiệt, nhưng ông ấy rất tiết kiệm. (My father is not stingy, but he is very economical.)
• Bủn xỉn (adj): Mean, niggardly (colloquial, often more derogatory).
  • Đừng có bủn xỉn, mời bạn bè ăn một bữa đi. (Don't be so mean, treat your friends to a meal.)

Synonyms

• Tằn tiện: Thrifty, frugal (can be used similarly, sometimes with a slightly less negative connotation).
• Khó tính trong chi tiêu: Difficult/picky about spending.
• Ích kỷ về tiền bạc: Selfish with money.

Related Idioms

• "Ki bo": A slang term for being stingy or tight.
  • Ồ, anh ta ki bo lắm, không bao giờ chịu trả tiền café. (Oh, he's very stingy, he never pays for coffee.)
• "Bóp chặt ví tiền": To tighten one's purse strings.
  • Mùa dịch, ai cũng phải bóp chặt ví tiền. (During the pandemic season, everyone has to tighten their purse strings.)

Notes on Meaning

• While "hà tằn hà tiện" literally means "very thrifty," it is often used with a negative nuance, criticizing someone for being excessively stingy rather than praising them for being prudent. The context determines whether it is seen as a vice (miserliness) or, less commonly, a virtue (extreme frugality in hard times).
• It primarily describes a person's character or habitual behavior regarding money and resources.

1. Very thrifty