lạm tiêu
Definition
- Verb:
- To overspend, to spend excessively or beyond one's means: The primary meaning refers to the act of spending money wastefully, beyond reasonable limits or one's financial capacity.
- To embezzle, to misappropriate funds: In economic or financial contexts, it can specifically mean to use funds, especially public or entrusted money, for unauthorized or personal purposes.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ấy thường xuyên lạm tiêu và nhanh chóng rơi vào nợ nần. (He frequently overspends and quickly falls into debt.)
- Viên chức đó bị bắt vì tội lạm tiêu ngân sách nhà nước. (That official was arrested for embezzling state budget funds.)
Advanced Usage
"lạm tiêu bừa bãi": to spend recklessly and wastefully.
- Lối sống lạm tiêu bừa bãi có thể dẫn đến phá sản. (A lifestyle of reckless overspending can lead to bankruptcy.)
"lạm tiêu quỹ công": to embezzle public funds.
- Hành vi lạm tiêu quỹ công là một tội phạm nghiêm trọng. (The act of embezzling public funds is a serious crime.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lạm phát (n): inflation (economic term).
- Lạm dụng (v): to abuse, to misuse (e.g., power, trust).
- Tiêu xài (v): to spend (neutral or general term for spending).
Synonyms
- Tiêu xài hoang phí / phung phí: to spend wastefully, to squander.
- Biển thủ: to embezzle, to peculate (stronger legal term for embezzlement).
- Tham ô: to corrupt, to engage in corruption (broader than just financial).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
(Note: As a single verb, 'lạm tiêu' itself is not typically broken into phrasal verb components in Vietnamese. The related concepts are expressed through combinations with other words as shown in 'Advanced Usage'.)
Related Idioms
- Vung tay quá trán: (idiom) Literally "to swing one's hand over one's forehead," meaning to spend money excessively and imprudently.
- Anh ta có thói quen vung tay quá trán mỗi khi nhận lương. (He has a habit of spending his salary recklessly as soon as he gets it.)