lý tài
Definition
Noun:
- Money; financial matters; pecuniary affairs: Refers to currency, wealth, or issues related to finance and assets.
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).