sinh nhai

Học thuật

Thân thiện

Người nông dân làm việc chăm chỉ để sinh nhai.

Definition

Noun:
- Livelihood, means of subsistence: Refers to the work, activities, or resources that provide for one's basic needs and living expenses. It often implies a focus on the essential, daily struggle to earn a living.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- Anh ấy phải làm nhiều việc để kiếm kế sinh nhai. (He has to do many jobs to earn a livelihood.)
- Công việc này là nguồn sinh nhai duy nhất của cả gia đình. (This job is the sole means of subsistence for the whole family.)
- Lo cái sinh nhai hằng ngày đã đủ mệt. (Worrying about the daily livelihood is tiring enough.)

Advanced Usage

The word "sinh nhai" is almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase "kế sinh nhai" (literally: plan/means for living and surviving). Using it alone is rare and highly literary.
- Bà ấy bán hàng rong để có kế sinh nhai. (She sells street food to have a means of livelihood.)

Variants and Related Words

Kế sinh nhai (n): The standard and most common compound, meaning "livelihood" or "means of earning a living."
- Tìm kế sinh nhai mới ở thành phố. (To look for a new livelihood in the city.)
Sinh sống (v): To live, to reside. This is the verb form related to the concept of making a life.
- Gia đình tôi sinh sống ở đây đã ba đời. (My family has lived here for three generations.)
Mưu sinh (v/n): To strive for a living; livelihood. Similar to "sinh nhai" but can be used as a verb and often carries a stronger connotation of hardship and struggle.
- Ông ấy vào Nam mưu sinh. (He went to the South to seek a living.)

Synonyms

Công ăn việc làm: Job, employment. (More neutral, focuses on having work.)
Nguồn thu nhập: Source of income. (More formal, focuses on the financial aspect.)
Phương kế sinh sống: Means of living. (A more elaborate synonym for "kế sinh nhai".)

Related Idioms and Phrases

Kiếm kế sinh nhai / Mưu kế sinh nhai: To seek/strive for a livelihood. This is the primary verbal phrase used with this noun.
- Họ phải kiếm kế sinh nhai bằng mọi cách. (They have to seek a livelihood by any means necessary.)
Lo cơm áo gạo tiền / Chuyện cơm áo: (Idiom) The worries of making a living, the daily grind. This is a common idiom expressing the burden of securing basic necessities (food, clothing, money).
- Vì chuyện cơm áo mà anh phải bỏ dở việc học. (Because of the worries of making a living, he had to quit his studies.)

Người nông dân làm việc chăm chỉ để sinh nhai.