Definition

Verb: - To amuse oneself; to seek entertainment: The act of engaging in an activity for pleasure, diversion, or to pass the time, often implying a deliberate effort to create or find amusement.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy thường đọc truyện cười để mua vui. (He often reads jokes to amuse himself.)
  • Họ bày trò chơi để mua vui trong buổi tiệc. (They set up games to entertain themselves at the party.)
  • Đừng lấy sự bất hạnh của người khác ra để mua vui. (Don't use other people's misfortune to amuse yourself.)

Advanced Usage

• "mua vui cho thiên hạ": To amuse or entertain the public/crowd; often used critically to describe someone acting foolishly for others' entertainment.
  • Anh ta chỉ đang diễn trò mua vui cho thiên hạ mà thôi. (He's just putting on a show to amuse the crowd.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tiêu khiển (verb): To divert oneself, to pass the time pleasantly. This is a close synonym, often used interchangeably with "mua vui" in many contexts.
• Giải trí (verb): To entertain, to engage in recreation. This has a broader and sometimes more formal sense than "mua vui."

Synonyms

• Tìm thú vui: To seek pleasure.
• Giết thời gian: To kill time (though this can imply a more passive activity than the deliberate action in "mua vui").

Related Phrases

• Trò mua vui (noun phrase): A form of amusement; a diversion.
  • Màn ảo thuật ấy chỉ là một trò mua vui. (That magic show is just a form of amusement.)

Notes on Meaning

The word "mua vui" literally combines "mua" (to buy) and "vui" (fun/happiness), metaphorically suggesting "purchasing" or "obtaining" amusement. It can have a neutral or slightly negative connotation depending on context. It is neutral when referring to harmless personal entertainment but can be pejorative when the amusement is seen as trivial, at someone else's expense, or inappropriate (e.g., "mua vui trên nỗi đau của người khác" – to amuse oneself over someone else's pain).

verb

1. to amuse oneself