Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To be fined / to be penalized: To be subjected to an official monetary penalty or punishment for an offense or violation.
   • To be held liable / to be held responsible: To be forced to bear the blame, consequences, or compensation for a wrongdoing or problematic situation.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Anh ta ăn cắp và đã phải vạ. (He stole and was fined/penalized.)
  • Công ty xả thải ra sông nên phải vạ rất nặng. (The company dumped waste into the river and was heavily fined.)
  • Có xe phải vạ mà đi bộ. ([Literally] You have a car yet you bear the nuisance of walking. / Why bother walking when you have a car?)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies not just a legal fine but a broader sense of suffering negative consequences or inconvenience due to one's own actions or situation.
• It can be used in a rhetorical or proverbial sense to criticize someone for choosing a difficult or inconvenient option when a better one is available, as in the common example "Có xe phải vạ mà đi bộ."

Variants and Related Words

• Phải tội (verb phrase): A near-synonym meaning "to be guilty," "to be at fault," or "to be punished." It is often used interchangeably with .

Synonyms

• To be fined: To be ordered to pay money as a penalty.
• To be penalized: To be subjected to a punishment or disadvantage.
• To bear the brunt: To suffer the worst part of something unpleasant.

Related Idioms

• Có xe phải vạ mà đi bộ: A common idiomatic expression meaning "to choose a harder path when an easier one is available" or "to endure an unnecessary hassle." It criticizes irrational or inefficient choices.

1. như phải tội