Definition

1. Noun:

   • Money; financial matters; pecuniary affairs: Refers to currency, wealth, or issues related to finance and assets.

2. Adjective:

   • Meticulous about money; stingy; money-grubbing: Describes a person who is excessively careful, tight-fisted, or greedy regarding financial matters, often focused on gaining even small advantages.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Anh ta chỉ quan tâm đến lý tài. (He is only concerned with money/financial matters.)
  • Vụ kiện liên quan đến lý tài phức tạp. (The lawsuit involves complicated financial affairs.)

• Adjective:

  • Ông chủ đó nổi tiếng là người lý tài. (That boss is famous for being stingy/money-grubbing.)
  • Tính cách lý tài khiến anh ấy mất nhiều bạn bè. (His money-grubbing nature has caused him to lose many friends.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is formal and often carries a negative connotation, especially when used as an adjective to criticize someone's character regarding money.

Variants and Related Words

• Lý tài sự vụ: A formal term for financial and administrative affairs.
  • Phòng ban này phụ trách các lý tài sự vụ. (This department is in charge of financial and administrative affairs.)

Synonyms

• Noun: Finances, pecuniary matters, monetary affairs.
• Adjective: Stingy, miserly, parsimonious, greedy, money-obsessed.

Related Idioms

• While "lý tài" itself is not commonly found in idioms, its sense relates to proverbs about greed and money, such as "tham thì thâm" (greed leads to loss).