Definition

1. Verb:
   • To look for a living, to seek a means of livelihood: Refers to the act of working or finding ways to earn money for basic survival and daily needs.
   • To search for food (said about animals): Describes the instinctive behavior of animals looking for sustenance.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy phải đi kiếm ăn từ sáng sớm. (He has to go out to look for a living from early morning.)
  • Đàn chim đang kiếm ăn trên cánh đồng. (The flock of birds is searching for food in the field.)
  • Trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn, mọi người đều phải lo kiếm ăn. (In difficult circumstances, everyone must worry about earning a living.)

Advanced Usage

• "kiếm ăn lương thiện": to earn an honest living.

  • Dù nghèo nhưng anh ta vẫn kiếm ăn lương thiện. (Although poor, he still earns an honest living.)

• "kiếm ăn qua ngày": to scrape by, to barely make enough to get through the day.

  • Công việc bấp bênh, anh chỉ đủ kiếm ăn qua ngày. (With an unstable job, he only makes enough to scrape by.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kiếm sống (verb): to make a living. A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "kiếm ăn" in the context of human livelihood.

  • Cô ấy kiếm sống bằng nghề bán hàng rong. (She makes a living as a street vendor.)

• Mưu sinh (verb): to earn a livelihood. A more formal term with a similar meaning.

  • Đó là cách mưu sinh của người dân nơi đây. (That is the way the local people earn their livelihood.)

Synonyms

• Làm ăn: to do business, to work for a living. Often implies a more established or commercial activity.
• Sinh nhai: to make a living (slightly literary or formal).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Đi kiếm ăn: to go out to work/seek a living.
  • Ông bố trụ cột ngày nào cũng đi kiếm ăn. (The breadwinning father goes out to work every day.)

Related Idioms

• "Kiếm ăn xa": to go far away to seek a living.

  • Thanh niên trong làng nhiều người phải kiếm ăn xa. (Many young people in the village have to go far away to seek a living.)

• "Đầu tắt mặt tối kiếm ăn": to work extremely hard from dawn till dusk just to make ends meet.

  • Vợ chồng anh ấy đầu tắt mặt tối kiếm ăn nuôi con. (He and his wife work extremely hard from dawn till dusk to feed their children.)

1. Look for a living, look for a means of livelihood
   • Search for food (nói về động vật)