Definition

1. Verb:
   • To spend extravagantly, to squander, to waste: "phung phá" means to use up money or resources in an excessive, wasteful, and irresponsible manner, often on unnecessary or frivolous things.
   • To dissipate, to fritter away: It can also refer to the act of depleting valuable assets, such as an inheritance or wealth, through reckless spending.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta phung phá toàn bộ số tiền thừa kế vào cờ bạc và tiệc tùng. (He squandered the entire inheritance on gambling and parties.)
  • Đừng phung phá tiền bạc vào những thứ vô bổ. (Don't waste money on useless things.)
  • Công ty đó đang phung phá nguồn tài nguyên thiên nhiên. (That company is squandering natural resources.)

Advanced Usage

• "phung phá của cải": to dissipate one's wealth/possessions.

  • Kẻ tham nhũng đã phung phá của cải của nhân dân. (The corrupt official squandered the people's wealth.)

• "phung phá gia tài": to fritter away an inheritance/family fortune.

  • Người con trai lười biếng đã phung phá gia tài chỉ trong vài năm. (The lazy son frittered away the family fortune in just a few years.)

• "phung phá thời gian": to waste time (used figuratively for non-monetary resources).

  • Phung phá thời gian thanh xuân là điều đáng tiếc nhất. (Wasting one's youth is the most regrettable thing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phung phí (verb): A near-synonym meaning to waste or squander. It is often used interchangeably with "phung phá," though "phung phí" can sometimes sound slightly less severe.

  • phung phí cơ hội (to waste an opportunity)

• Hoang phí (verb): To waste, to use extravagantly. It emphasizes the aspect of wastefulness.

  • hoang phí thức ăn (to waste food)

Synonyms

• Lãng phí: to waste (a more general and common term for wastefulness).
• Tiêu xài hoang phí: to spend lavishly/wastefully.
• Vung tay quá trán: (idiomatic) to spend money like water, to be a spendthrift.

Related Idioms

• "Tiền vào nhà khó như gió vào nhà trống": Money comes into the house as hard as wind enters an empty house (but goes out easily). This idiom illustrates the ease of spending/squandering money, related to the concept of "phung phá."
• "Của thiên trả địa": Literally "wealth from heaven returned to earth," meaning easily gained wealth is easily lost or squandered.

1. Spend extravagantly, squander, throw (money) about