lấy tiếng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To do something for reputation/glory: To perform an action primarily to gain fame, recognition, or a good reputation, rather than for material benefit or genuine purpose.
- To seek fame: To act with the main goal of making one's name known or enhancing one's prestige.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Anh ấy tham gia từ thiện chỉ để lấy tiếng mà thôi. (He participates in charity work just for reputation/glory.)
- Đừng làm việc đó chỉ vì muốn lấy tiếng với mọi người. (Don't do that just because you want to seek fame from everyone.)
- Cô ấy nấu ăn ngon không phải để lấy tiếng, mà vì niềm vui. (She cooks well not for glory, but for joy.)
Advanced Usage
- "làm lấy tiếng": to do something for show, for the sake of appearances or reputation.
- Việc quyên góp đó có vẻ chỉ là làm lấy tiếng. (That donation seems to be done just for show.)
- Often carries a slightly negative or cynical connotation, implying the action is not sincere but calculated for personal image.
Variants and Related Words
- Lấy danh (verb phrase): to seek a name/reputation (similar meaning, often used in more formal or literary contexts).
- Lấy lệ (verb phrase): to do something perfunctorily, just for form's sake or as a token gesture (different nuance, but sometimes contextually related as an insincere action).
Synonyms
- Vì danh tiếng: for the sake of fame/reputation.
- Để được tiếng: to get a (good) name.
- Làm màu (colloquial, often more negative): to show off, to put on airs.
Related Idioms
- "Làm phúc lấy tiếng": to do good deeds for fame.
- Giúp người chân thành, đừng làm phúc lấy tiếng. (Help people sincerely, don't do good deeds just for fame.)
- The concept connects with the idiom "Mua danh ba vạn, bán danh ba đồng" (To buy a reputation costs thirty thousand, to sell it costs three coins), highlighting the perceived value and fragility of a reputation sought for its own sake.