Definition

1. Verb:
   • To buy; to purchase: To obtain something by paying money for it.
   • To acquire; to get: To obtain something, often implying an exchange or transaction, not necessarily monetary.
   • To bribe; to buy off: To use money or favors to gain an advantage or someone's loyalty, often unethically.
   • To incur; to bring upon oneself: To cause an unwanted situation or consequence for oneself through one's actions.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To buy):
  • Tôi mua một quyển sách. (I buy a book.)
  • Cô ấy mua rau ở chợ. (She buys vegetables at the market.)
• Verb (To acquire/get):
  • Anh ta mua được sự kính trọng của mọi người. (He earned/gained everyone's respect.)
• Verb (To bribe):
  • Hắn định mua chuộc viên chức. (He tried to bribe the official.)
• Verb (To incur):
  • Lời nói đó chỉ mua thù chuốc oán. (That statement only brought hatred and resentment.)

Advanced Usage

• "mua vui": to amuse/entertain (oneself or others), often temporarily.
  • Anh ấy kể chuyện cười để mua vui cho mọi người. (He told jokes to entertain everyone.)
• "mua lấy": to buy/obtain for oneself (emphasizing the act of acquisition).
  • Cô ấy mua lấy một căn nhà nhỏ. (She bought herself a small house.)
• "mua được": can be bought; obtainable.
  • Niềm tin không mua được bằng tiền. (Trust cannot be bought with money.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mua bán (verb phrase): to trade; to buy and sell.
  • Công ty kinh doanh mua bán nông sản. (The company is in the business of trading agricultural products.)
• Mua sắm (verb): to shop; to go shopping.
  • Chúng tôi đi mua sắm ở trung tâm thương mại. (We go shopping at the mall.)
• Người mua (noun): buyer; purchaser.
  • Người mua đã trả giá cho món đồ. (The buyer haggled over the item's price.)
• Sự mua (noun): purchase; the act of buying.
  • Sự mua bán diễn ra công khai. (The purchase and sale were conducted openly.)

Synonyms

• Tậu (verb): to buy; to acquire (more formal or literary than "mua").
• Sắm (verb): to buy; to purchase (often for specific needs, e.g., clothes, furniture).
• Chuộc (verb): to redeem; to buy back (often from pawn or captivity).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Mua vào (verb phrase): to buy in; to purchase (often in trading contexts).
  • Nhà đầu tư mua vào 10,000 cổ phiếu. (The investor bought in 10,000 shares.)
• Mua chuộc (verb phrase): to bribe; to buy off.
  • Họ tìm cách mua chuộc nhân chứng. (They tried to bribe the witness.)
• Mua đứt (verb phrase): to buy outright; to purchase completely.
  • Công ty mua đứt bản quyền tác phẩm. (The company bought the full rights to the work.)

Related Idioms

• Nhắm mắt mua càn / Mua trâu vẽ bóng: To buy a pig in a poke; to buy something without seeing or checking it first.
  • Đừng nhắm mắt mua càn, hãy xem kỹ trước đã. (Don't buy a pig in a poke, look carefully first.)
• Mua danh ba vạn, bán danh ba đồng: (Lit: Buy fame for thirty thousand, sell it for three coins) To pay a high price to build a reputation only to ruin it cheaply.
• Mua dây buộc mình: (Lit: To buy rope to tie oneself) To create trouble or constraints for oneself.
  • Ký hợp đồng đó là mua dây buộc mình. (Signing that contract is tying your own hands.)

verb

1. to buy; to purchase; to get
   • nhắm mắt mua càn
     to buy a pig in a poke