Definition

1. Phrase (ph.):
   • To hold a position nominally or in name only: The phrase "làm vì" describes the act of occupying a formal role, title, or office, but without performing any real work, duties, or having any actual authority associated with it. It implies a purely symbolic or titular function.

Usage Examples

• Phrase:
  • Ông ấy chỉ làm vì chủ tịch hội đồng quản trị. (He only holds the position of board chairman in name.)
  • Chức giám đốc đó, cô ấy chỉ làm vì thôi, mọi quyết định đều do phó giám đốc đảm nhiệm. (That director position, she only holds it nominally; all decisions are handled by the deputy director.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a critical or dismissive tone, highlighting the emptiness or inefficacy of a role within an organization or system.
• It can be used in various contexts, from corporate and political offices to community groups.

Variants and Related Words

• Làm hình thức (v): to do something as a mere formality.
  • Buổi họp đó chỉ là làm hình thức. (That meeting was just a formality.)

Synonyms

• To be a figurehead: to be a leader in title only without real power.
• To hold a sinecure: to hold a position that requires little or no work but provides financial benefit.
• To be in a nominal role: to have a role in name only.

Related Idioms

• Ngồi chơi xơi nước: (literally: to sit, relax, and drink water) to have an easy job or do no work while still getting benefits. This idiom shares the connotation of lacking real responsibility, similar to "làm vì."
  • Anh ta được bổ nhiệm vào vị trí đó chỉ để ngồi chơi xơi nước. (He was appointed to that position just to sit around and do nothing.)