Definition

1. Noun:
   • A plan, a scheme, a stratagem: A carefully thought-out method or series of actions designed to achieve a specific goal, often in a complex or challenging situation. It implies a degree of cleverness and strategy.
   • An expedient (archaic/literary): A means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient but possibly not principled or intended for long-term use.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy đang suy nghĩ tìm ra một kế sách hay để phát triển công ty. (He is thinking to find a good strategy to develop the company.)
  • Trong tình thế khó khăn đó, kế sách duy nhất là đầu hàng. (In that difficult situation, the only expedient was to surrender.)
  • Các tướng lĩnh bàn bạc kế sách đánh giữ. (The generals discussed plans and stratagems for attack and defense.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tìm kế sách": To devise/find a plan or expedient.

  • Phải tìm kế sách nào để vượt qua khó khăn này. (We must find an expedient to overcome this difficulty.)

• "Kế sách hay": A clever/good plan.

  • Đó quả là một kế sách hay giúp chúng ta tiết kiệm thời gian. (That is truly a clever stratagem that helps us save time.)

• "Kế sách lâu dài": A long-term plan/strategy.

  • Chúng ta cần một kế sách lâu dài cho vấn đề môi trường. (We need a long-term strategy for the environmental issue.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kế hoạch (n): Plan, project. (More common and neutral than "kế sách", less connotation of cleverness or expediency).
• Sách lược (n): Tactic, policy. (Often used in political or military contexts).
• Mưu kế (n): Scheme, plot. (Can have a slightly more cunning or deceitful connotation).
• Phương kế (n): Method, way. (A more general term for a method or means).

Synonyms

• Mưu đồ: Scheme, plot.
• Đối sách: Countermeasure, policy to deal with a situation.
• Giải pháp: Solution.
• Biện pháp: Measure, step.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Bày mưu tính kế: To plot and scheme.

  • Hắn ta luôn bày mưu tính kế để hại người khác. (He is always plotting and scheming to harm others.)

• Kế sách nghìn thu: An eternal/enduring strategy (a plan of great and lasting value).

  • Xây dựng nền giáo dục vững mạnh là kế sách nghìn thu cho đất nước. (Building a strong education system is an enduring strategy for the nation.)

Notes on Usage

• "Kế sách" is a Sino-Vietnamese word (Hán Việt) and carries a formal, sometimes literary or historical tone. In modern, everyday conversation, words like "kế hoạch" (plan) or "giải pháp" (solution) are more frequently used.
• Its meaning as "expedient" is now considered somewhat archaic or used in formal/written contexts. The more common modern interpretation is "strategy" or "clever plan".

1. (từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) Expedient