miệng ăn
Definition
- Noun:
- A mouth to feed: A person who is dependent on a household or provider for sustenance; a member of a family or group who consumes resources, especially food. It refers to a person considered in terms of their consumption needs.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Gia đình tôi có bốn miệng ăn. (My family has four mouths to feed.)
- Thu nhập ít mà nhiều miệng ăn quá. (The income is small, but there are too many mouths to feed.)
- Công ty phải cắt giảm lao động vì có quá nhiều miệng ăn. (The company had to lay off workers because there were too many mouths to feed.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in economic or resource-planning contexts to discuss dependency ratios, household burdens, or the financial pressure of supporting dependents.
- Bài toán kinh tế của hộ gia đình phụ thuộc vào tỉ lệ người lao động và miệng ăn. (The household's economic equation depends on the ratio of workers to mouths to feed.)
Variants and Related Words
- Miệng (n): mouth. The core word from which the compound is formed.
- Người phụ thuộc (n): dependent. A more formal, direct synonym.
- Đầu người (n): per capita. Used in statistical contexts (e.g., - per capita income).
Synonyms
- Dependent: A person who relies on another for financial support.
- Charge: A person under one's care.
Related Idioms
- Nhiều miệng ăn, lắm kẻ lo: Many mouths to feed, many people to worry. A saying highlighting the burdens and responsibilities that come with a large family or many dependents.