Definition

1. Verb:
   • To be meanly particular about money, to be niggardly about money: To calculate or argue meticulously over very small amounts of money, often in a stingy or petty manner.
   • To be unequal, not of the same length: To compare and find a discrepancy or lack of equivalence between two things.

Usage Examples

• Verb (stingy about money):

  • Anh ta luôn so kè từng đồng khi đi ăn với bạn bè. (He always calculates every single penny when eating out with friends.)
  • Đừng có so kè chuyện tiền nong nhỏ nhặt như vậy. (Don't be so petty and calculating over such trivial money matters.)

• Verb (unequal, not matching):

  • Hai cây cột này so kè nhau, cần phải cắt cho bằng. (These two pillars are not of equal length; they need to be cut to match.)
  • Hai bên đàm phán cứ so kè từng điều khoản một. (The two negotiating sides keep haggling over every single clause, finding them unequal.)

Advanced Usage

• "so kè từng li từng tí": To nitpick over every tiny detail or the smallest amount.

  • Cô ấy so kè từng li từng tí trong hợp đồng. (She nitpicks over every minute detail in the contract.)

• "so kè hơn thiệt": To meticulously calculate personal gain and loss.

  • Làm việc gì cũng so kè hơn thiệt thì khó mà thành công. (If you meticulously calculate personal gain and loss in everything you do, it's hard to succeed.)

Variants and Related Words

• So đo (verb): To compare and measure meticulously, often with a connotation of pettiness or stinginess. It is very close in meaning to "so kè".

  • Tính anh ấy hay so đo. (He has a tendency to be calculating/petty.)

• Kèo cột (noun): This is a compound word. In its original sense, it refers to the beams and pillars of a house. Figuratively, it can imply a comparison or contest, often in the context of bargaining or arguing over terms.

  • Hai bên đang giằng co về kèo cột hợp đồng. (The two sides are struggling over the terms of the contract.)

Synonyms

• Bủn xỉn (adj): Stingy, miserly.
• Hà tiện (adj): Parsimonious, penny-pinching.
• Cân đo đong đếm (verb phrase): To weigh and measure meticulously; to calculate precisely.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: "So kè" itself is not typically used with particles to form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs are. Its meaning is contained within the compound.

Related Idioms

• "So kè đồng xuống đồng lên": To argue fiercely over every single coin, emphasizing extreme pettiness in financial matters.

  • Hai người bán hàng so kè đồng xuống đồng lên. (The two vendors haggled fiercely over every single coin.)

• "So kè như mổ bò": To bargain or argue as meticulously as if butchering a cow (i.e., with great detail and effort). This emphasizes the tedious and strenuous nature of the haggling.

  • Cuộc thương lượng so kè như mổ bò. (The negotiation was as tedious and detailed as butchering a cow.)

1. Be meanly particular about money, be niggardly (near) about money
2. Unequal, not of the same length