ki cóp

Bà ấy ki cóp tiền trong một con heo đất.

Definition

Verb: - To save up, to accumulate (money or resources) bit by bit, often with difficulty and frugality: "ki cóp" describes the action of gradually gathering and setting aside small amounts of money or resources through careful saving and economizing. It implies effort, patience, and often a modest or difficult financial situation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy đã ki cóp suốt năm năm để mua được chiếc xe. (She saved up for five years to buy the car.)
  • Họ phải ki cóp từng đồng để lo cho con ăn học. (They have to scrimp and save every penny for their children's education.)
  • Số tiền này là do tôi ki cóp từ tiền tiêu vặt. (This amount of money is what I've saved up from my allowance.)

Advanced Usage

• "ki cóp từng đồng": to save every single penny; emphasizes saving even the smallest amounts.

  • Bà ấy ki cóp từng đồng để dành dụm cho tương lai. (She saves every single penny to put aside for the future.)

• "ki cóp vất vả": to save up with great difficulty; highlights the hardship involved in the saving process.

  • Anh ấy ki cóp vất vả mới mua nổi mảnh đất nhỏ. (He saved up with great difficulty to afford a small plot of land.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dành dụm (verb): to save, to put aside. This is a close synonym but may imply a slightly less strenuous or penny-pinching process than "ki cóp".

  • Họ dành dụm tiền để đi du lịch. (They save money to travel.)

• Tích cóp (verb): to accumulate, to amass. This word focuses more on the result of gathering and often applies to things beyond just money (e.g., knowledge, experience).

  • Anh ấy tích cóp nhiều kinh nghiệm sau nhiều năm làm việc. (He accumulated a lot of experience after many years of working.)

Synonyms

• Để dành: to put aside, to save.
• Bòn mót: to scrape together, to scrounge (can have a more negative connotation of being miserly).

Related Idioms

• "Ki cóp cho cọp nó ăn": Literally "to save up for the tiger to eat". This idiom criticizes futile effort, implying that one's hard-earned savings will ultimately be taken or wasted by others, or that the saving is pointless.

  • Làm lụng cực khổ rồi ki cóp cho cọp nó ăn thì cũng bằng không. (Working hard and saving up only for it to be taken is the same as having nothing.)

• "Cha ki cóp, con bòn mót": Literally "The father saves up bit by bit, the child scrapes together". This proverb describes a family trait of frugality or, conversely, can imply miserliness across generations.