lương lậu

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Salary; wages; pay: Money received, typically on a regular basis, for work or services performed. The term often carries a slightly negative or informal connotation, implying the pay is meager, insufficient, or viewed with discontent.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Lương lậu chết đói, làm sao sống nổi? (Starvation wages, how can one live on them?)
  • Anh ta luôn phàn nàn về lương lậu ở công ty cũ. (He always complained about the pay at his old company.)
  • Công việc vất vả mà lương lậu chẳng được bao nhiêu. (The work is hard but the wages aren't much.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is frequently used in colloquial or critical contexts to express dissatisfaction with compensation. It is less formal and more emotive than neutral terms like lương (salary) or tiền lương (wages).

Variants and Related Words

• Lương (n): Salary; wage. A standard, neutral term for regular pay.

  • Lương tháng này đã được chuyển khoản. (This month's salary has been transferred.)

• Lương bổng (n): Salary and allowances; remuneration. Slightly more formal than lương lậu, but can also be used in negative contexts.

  • Lương bổng không tương xứng với trách nhiệm. (The remuneration is not commensurate with the responsibility.)

• Tiền công (n): Payment for labor, often for hourly or daily work; wages.

  • Tiền công làm thêm giờ được tính riêng. (Overtime pay is calculated separately.)

Synonyms

• Pay: Money received for work.
• Wages: Payment for labor, often on an hourly or daily basis.
• Earnings: Money obtained in return for labor or services.

Related Idioms

• Lương lậu chết đói: Starvation wages; miserably low pay.
  • Làm ở xưởng đó chỉ có lương lậu chết đói thôi. (Working in that factory only pays starvation wages.)