Definition

1. Verb:

   • To waste, to squander: To use or expend something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no useful purpose.
   • To lose (in a useless manner): To cause something to be lost without achieving a beneficial result.

2. Adjective:

   • Excessive, beyond what is needed: Used to describe an amount or degree that is more than necessary or reasonable.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Anh ấy phí quá nhiều tiền vào những trò chơi vô bổ. (He wastes too much money on useless games.)
  • Đừng phí thời gian lo lắng về những điều không thể thay đổi. (Don't waste time worrying about things you cannot change.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy mình đã phí hoài những năm tháng thanh xuân. (She felt she had squandered her youth.)

• Adjective:

  • Việc lo lắng như vậy là phí. (Worrying like that is excessive.)
  • Anh ta bị chỉ trích vì lối sống phí phạm. (He was criticized for his extravagant lifestyle.)

Advanced Usage

• "phí hoài": To waste utterly, to squander completely. This compound emphasizes a total and regrettable waste.

  • Phí hoài tài năng. (To utterly waste one's talent.)

• "uổng phí": Synonymous with "phí," often used to convey a sense of pity or regret over the waste.

  • Thật là uổng phí nếu không tận dụng cơ hội này. (It would be a real waste not to take advantage of this opportunity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phí phạm (Verb/Adjective): To waste; wasteful. A stronger synonym often implying extravagance and negligence.

  • Phí phạm thức ăn là không nên. (Wasting food is not good.)

• Phí tổn (Noun): Cost, expense. This is a compound noun where "phí" contributes the meaning of "cost."

  • Phí tổn vận chuyển rất cao. (The transport costs are very high.)

• Lệ phí (Noun): Fee, charge. A compound noun for official payments.

• Phí bảo hiểm (Noun): Insurance premium.
• Phí vận chuyển (Noun): Shipping cost, transport fee.

Synonyms

• Lãng phí (Verb): To waste, to squander (often with a connotation of negligence).
• Tiêu pha hoang phí (Verb Phrase): To spend extravagantly and wastefully.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As Vietnamese does not have phrasal verbs in the same structure as English, this section covers common verb phrases using "phí".

• Phí công (Verb Phrase): To waste one's effort/work.

  • Mọi nỗ lực của anh ta đều phí công vô ích. (All his efforts were wasted in vain.)

• Phí sức (Verb Phrase): To waste one's energy/strength.

  • Đừng phí sức tranh cãi với anh ta. (Don't waste your energy arguing with him.)

• Phí thì giờ / phí thời gian (Verb Phrase): To waste time.

  • Việc đó chỉ phí thời gian thôi. (That just wastes time.)

Related Idioms

• Phí của trời: To waste something precious (literally "to waste heaven's belongings"). Used to express strong disapproval of wasting valuable resources or opportunities.

  • Bỏ thức ăn ngon như thế này thật là phí của trời. (Throwing away delicious food like this is a terrible waste.)

• Tiền mất tật mang (Idiom with similar concept): To lose money and still keep the bad habit/problem. This idiom describes a situation where a wasteful expenditure also fails to solve the underlying issue.

  • Mua thuốc giả đó là tiền mất tật mang. (Buying that fake medicine is a complete waste of money [and the illness remains].)

1. Wast, squander
   • Phí sức
     To waste one's energy
   • Phí thì giờ
     To waste (squander) one's time
   • Phí tiền
     to squander (waste) money
   • Phí vận chuyển
     Costs of transport