Definition

1. Noun:
   • A method; a plan; a stratagem: A specific course of action or a clever idea devised to achieve a particular goal or solve a problem.
   • A means; an expedient: A way or resource used to accomplish something, especially in a situation of necessity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta đang suy nghĩ tìm phương kế để giải quyết khó khăn. (He is thinking of a plan to solve the difficulty.)
  • Phương kế sinh nhai của họ là buôn bán nhỏ. (Their means of livelihood is small-scale trading.)
  • Công ty đã hết phương cùng kế. (The company is at its wit's end.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in formal or literary contexts to denote a thoughtful or strategic solution, rather than a simple, obvious method.
• It frequently appears in set phrases that describe states of resourcefulness or desperation.

Variants and Related Words

• Phương pháp (n): method, procedure. This is a more general and common term for "method."
  • Phương pháp giảng dạy mới rất hiệu quả. (The new teaching method is very effective.)
• Kế hoạch (n): plan, project. This emphasizes a more structured and detailed plan.
  • Chúng tôi đã lập kế hoạch cho năm tới. (We have made a plan for next year.)

Synonyms

• Plan: A detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.
• Expedient: A means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient but possibly improper or immoral.
• Stratagem: A clever scheme or trick used to outwit an opponent or achieve a goal.
• Resource: A stock or supply of materials or assets that can be drawn on.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Phương kế sinh nhai: Means of livelihood; way to earn a living.
  • Sáng tạo nghệ thuật là phương kế sinh nhai duy nhất của ông ấy. (Artistic creation is his sole means of livelihood.)
• Hết phương cùng kế: To be at one's wit's end; to have exhausted all possible plans and resources.
  • Trước tình thế ấy, họ thực sự hết phương cùng kế. (Faced with that situation, they were truly at their wit's end.)

1. Means
   • Phương kế sinh nhai
     Means of livelihood
   • Hết phương cùng kế
     To be at one's wit's end