keo kiệt
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Stingy; miserly: "keo kiệt" describes a person who is extremely unwilling to spend money or use resources, even when necessary or reasonable. It implies a level of greed and an excessive focus on hoarding wealth.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ông ấy quá keo kiệt, không bao giờ muốn đãi bạn bè một bữa ăn. (He is too stingy, never wanting to treat his friends to a meal.)
- Tính keo kiệt của bà ta khiến mọi người xa lánh. (Her miserly nature makes everyone avoid her.)
- Đừng có keo kiệt với chính bản thân mình. (Don't be stingy with yourself.)
Advanced Usage
- "keo kiệt bủn xỉn": This is a reinforcing phrase combining "keo kiệt" with a near-synonym ("bủn xỉn"), emphasizing extreme stinginess.
- Kẻ keo kiệt bủn xỉn ấy chẳng bao giờ làm từ thiện. (That extremely stingy person never does charity.)
- "keo kiệt đến mức...": stingy to the point that... Used to introduce a consequence or specific example of the stinginess.
- Anh ta keo kiệt đến mức tái sử dụng cả túi trà. (He is so stingy that he reuses tea bags.)
Variants and Related Words
- Hà tiện (adj): Thrifty, frugal. This word can be neutral or slightly negative but is generally less harsh than "keo kiệt". It emphasizes careful spending.
- Bủn xỉn (adj): Stingy, mean. Very similar in meaning to "keo kiệt", often used interchangeably or together for emphasis.
- Kẹt xỉ (adj, informal): Stingy, tight-fisted. A more colloquial synonym.
Synonyms
- Stingy: Unwilling to give or spend; not generous.
- Miserly: Relating to or characteristic of a miser; hoarding wealth.
- Parsimonious: Unwilling to spend money or use resources; frugal to an excessive degree (more formal).
- Tight-fisted: Not willing to spend or give much money; stingy.
Antonyms
- Hào phóng (adj): Generous, magnanimous.
- Rộng rãi (adj): Generous, liberal (with money or resources).
- Phóng khoáng (adj): Open-handed, liberal.
Related Idioms
- "Keo như mắm tôm": As stingy as shrimp paste (a very salty, concentrated condiment). This idiom vividly compares a person's stinginess to something very condensed and not easily shared.
- Đừng mong anh ta mời đi ăn, anh ta keo như mắm tôm ấy mà. (Don't expect him to treat you to a meal; he's as stingy as shrimp paste.)
- "Giàu nhưng keo": Rich but stingy. Highlights the contradiction between having wealth and being unwilling to share it.
- Ông chủ giàu nhưng keo nên nhân viên chẳng được thưởng gì. (The boss is rich but stingy, so the employees get no bonuses.)