Definition

1. Verb:
   • To worry and plan / To be concerned and make arrangements: The primary meaning of "lo toan" is to actively think about, worry over, and make plans or arrangements for responsibilities, tasks, or the future well-being of someone or something. It implies a combination of mental concern and practical action.
   • To take care of / To attend to: It often refers to the act of managing and overseeing important matters, typically for a family, organization, or project, involving both foresight and diligent effort.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cha mẹ luôn lo toan cho tương lai của con cái. (Parents always worry about and plan for their children's future.)
  • Cô ấy một mình lo toan mọi việc trong gia đình. (She single-handedly takes care of everything in the family.)
  • Anh ấy đang lo toan chuẩn bị cho dự án quan trọng. (He is busily making arrangements for the important project.)

Advanced Usage

• "lo toan vun vén": to diligently build up and take care of (often for a family or home).
  • Họ dành cả đời lo toan vun vén cho tổ ấm nhỏ. (They spent their whole life diligently building up their little nest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lo lắng (v): to worry, to be anxious. This focuses more on the feeling of worry rather than the active planning component.

  • Cô ấy lo lắng về kết quả kỳ thi. (She is worried about the exam results.)

• Toan tính (v): to calculate, to scheme, to plan (sometimes with a neutral or slightly negative connotation of self-interest).

  • Hắn ta toan tính quá nhiều cho lợi ích cá nhân. (He schemes too much for personal gain.)

Synonyms

• To attend to: to deal with or take care of matters.
• To make arrangements: to plan and organize.
• To take care of: to be responsible for someone or something.

Related Idioms

• Đầu tắt mặt tối lo toan: to be extremely busy and burdened with worries and work (literally: head extinguished, face dark from worrying and working).
  • Người nông dân đầu tắt mặt tối lo toan trên cánh đồng. (The farmer is endlessly toiling and worrying in the fields.)