Definition

1. Verb:

   • To be jealous; to be envious: To feel resentment or discontent toward someone because of their advantages, possessions, or perceived success.
   • To be possessive; to show sibling rivalry: Often used to describe a child's jealousy, typically toward a sibling who receives more attention or favor.

2. Noun:

   • The Snake (zodiac sign): The sixth earthly branch in the traditional Vietnamese zodiac cycle, corresponding to the hours of 9 AM to 11 AM and the Year of the Snake.
   • A tiny amount; a very small quantity: An archaic or literary term for a minuscule measure, often seen in the reduplicated form tí tị.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Đứa trẻ đó rất hay tị khi thấy em mình được mẹ ôm. (That child often gets jealous when seeing their younger sibling being hugged by their mother.)
  • Đừng có tị với thành công của người khác. (Don't be envious of other people's success.)

• Noun (Zodiac):

  • Bố tôi sinh năm tị. (My father was born in the Year of the Snake.)
  • Giờ tị là khoảng thời gian từ 9 giờ sáng đến 11 giờ sáng. (The tị hour is from 9 AM to 11 AM.)

• Noun (Quantity):

  • Chỉ cần thêm một tị muối thôi. (Just add a tiny bit of salt.)

Advanced Usage

• "tị nạnh": To bicker or squabble out of mutual jealousy or pettiness.

  • Hai đứa trẻ suốt ngày tị nạnh nhau. (The two children bicker with each other all day out of jealousy.)

• "tí tị" (reduplicated form): An extremely small amount; a tiny little bit.

  • Tôi không ăn nhiều, chỉ ăn tí tị thôi. (I don't eat much, just a tiny little bit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tuổi tị (n): The age or zodiac sign of the Snake.

  • Cô ấy cầm tinh con rắn, tuổi tị. (Her zodiac animal is the snake; she is of the Snake sign.)

• Giờ tị (n): The two-hour period of the day (9 AM - 11 AM) ruled by the Snake zodiac branch.

Synonyms

• Verb: To envy, to begrudge, to be jealous.
• Noun (Quantity): A bit, a speck, a trace, a dash.
• Noun (Zodiac): The Snake (earthly branch).

Related Idioms

• Con mắt tị: A jealous eye; a look of envy.

  • Cô ấy nhìn chiếc váy mới của tôi bằng con mắt tị. (She looked at my new dress with a jealous eye.)

• Tị tuông: Jealousy (often in a romantic context, though tị alone is more general or child-focused).

  • Anh ấy hay tị tuông vô cớ. (He is often jealous for no reason.)