rút gân.

Definition

1. Verb (idiomatic, colloquial):
   • To have a muscle cramp or charley horse: Refers to the sudden, involuntary, and painful contraction of a muscle, often in the leg or foot. The phrase literally means "to have a tendon/muscle pulled or withdrawn."
   • To be extremely stingy or tight-fisted: A figurative, critical meaning describing a person who is unwilling to spend money or use resources, to the point of being miserly. It implies the person's "tendons are retracted," preventing them from opening their hand (to give or spend).

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (cramp):

  • Tôi đang ngủ thì bị rút gân ở bắp chân. (I was sleeping when I got a cramp in my calf.)
  • Vận động viên phải dừng lại vì rút gân. (The athlete had to stop because of a muscle cramp.)

• Figurative meaning (stingy):

  • Ông chủ đó rút gân lắm, không bao giờ thưởng cho nhân viên. (That boss is very stingy; he never gives bonuses to the staff.)
  • Đừng có rút gân, mời bạn bè ăn uống một bữa đi. (Don't be so tight-fisted; treat your friends to a meal.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative usage is more common in everyday speech than the literal medical meaning. It is a vivid, somewhat humorous, but critical characterization of a person's parsimony.

Variants and Related Words

• Chuột rút (n/v): The standard, neutral term for a muscle cramp.
  • Bị chuột rút rất đau. (Having a muscle cramp is very painful.)

Synonyms

• Literal: To cramp up, to have a charley horse.
• Figurative: To be stingy, miserly, tight-fisted, parsimonious, cheap.

Related Idioms

• Hà tiện: A more formal synonym for being stingy or miserly.
• Keo kiệt: Another common term for stinginess.