Definition

1. Verb:
   • To remain outstanding (unpaid/unsettled): Refers to a debt, payment, or obligation that is still pending and has not been cleared.
   • To be left over/unsold: Describes goods, items, or stock that remain in inventory, often implying they are slow to sell or have not been disposed of.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Khoản nợ đó vẫn còn tồn. (That debt still remains outstanding.)
  • Mấy món hàng cũ này tồn trong kho đã lâu. (These old items have been left over in the warehouse for a long time.)
  • Hóa đơn tồn từ tháng trước. (The invoice has been outstanding since last month.)

Advanced Usage

• "tồn đọng": to be backlogged, to accumulate (often for work, documents, or unresolved matters).

  • Công việc tồn đọng nhiều sau kỳ nghỉ. (Work backlogged a lot after the holiday.)

• "tồn kho": to be in stock, inventory (specifically for goods).

  • Số lượng sản phẩm tồn kho vẫn còn cao. (The quantity of products in stock is still high.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tồn tại (v): to exist, to be in existence.

  • Vấn đề đó vẫn tồn tại. (That problem still exists.)

• Tồn dư (n): residue, remainder (often in chemical or financial contexts).

  • Kiểm tra tồn dư thuốc trừ sâu. (Check for pesticide residue.)

Synonyms

• Outstanding: remaining to be paid.
• Unsold: not purchased; remaining in stock.
• Pending: awaiting decision or settlement.

Related Idioms

• Tồn nghi: (archaic) lingering suspicion or unresolved doubt.

  • Vụ án để lại nhiều tồn nghi. (The case left many lingering suspicions.)

• Ăn không hết, để không tồn: (proverb) Literally "Can't eat it all, but it won't keep unsold," implying waste or poor management of resources.