lấy công
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To work for free / to work without pay: The primary meaning of "lấy công" is to perform labor or provide a service without receiving monetary compensation. The focus is on the act of contributing effort as a form of payment or favor itself.
- To accept labor as payment: In some contexts, it can imply accepting work or service from someone as a form of settlement for a debt or obligation, instead of money.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Tôi giúp anh sửa nhà lấy công, không cần trả tiền. (I help you repair the house for free, no need to pay money.)
- Họ làm giúp tôi và chỉ lấy công, không lấy tiền. (They helped me and only took the work as payment, not money.)
- Nợ tiền không trả được, tôi sẽ làm lấy công cho anh. (If I can't repay the money debt, I will work for you for free.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often appears in informal agreements or barter situations where services are exchanged for other services or as a personal favor, rather than for cash.
Variants and Related Words
- Làm công (v): to work as a laborer, often implying hired work, but can contextually mean to work without explicit pay.
- Trả công (v): to pay wages, to remunerate for work.
Synonyms
- To work pro bono: to work for the public good without charge.
- To volunteer one's labor: to offer work voluntarily without expectation of financial reward.
- To work for no pay: a direct description of the condition.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Lấy công làm lời: Literally "to take the labor as profit," meaning to consider the effort or work itself as the benefit or gain, often used when someone is content with helping without monetary gain.
- Anh ấy thích giúp đỡ mọi người, cứ xem như lấy công làm lời. (He likes to help people, just consider it as taking the labor as the profit.)