tham đó bỏ đăng
Definition
- Idiom:
- To be fickle or opportunistic; to abandon the old for the new: This idiom describes the behavior of a person who is capricious, disloyal, or easily swayed by new temptations, leading them to discard what they previously had or valued. It implies a lack of steadfastness and a tendency toward greed for the new and novel.
- Literal origin: The phrase originates from fishing tools. "Đó" is a stationary fish trap, and "đăng" is a movable fish weir or trap. The literal image is of a fisherman who, upon seeing a fish in the "đăng," greedily abandons the "đó" he was holding to chase the new prospect, often resulting in catching neither.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Anh ta đúng là loại người tham đó bỏ đăng, chưa làm xong việc cũ đã nhảy sang dự án mới. (He is truly the type who abandons the old for the new; he hasn't finished the old task before jumping to a new project.)
- Đừng có tham đó bỏ đăng, hãy trung thành với những người đã giúp đỡ mình. (Don't be so fickle; be loyal to those who have helped you.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is often used to criticize someone's character, particularly in contexts of relationships, business partnerships, or employment, where loyalty and consistency are valued.
- It can be used as a predicate in a sentence (as in the examples) or as a noun phrase to describe a person's trait.
- Tính tham đó bỏ đăng của anh ấy khiến chẳng ai muốn hợp tác lâu dài. (His fickle, opportunistic nature makes no one want to cooperate with him long-term.)
Variants and Related Words
- Cả thèm chóng chán: (Idiom) To be quick to desire and quick to lose interest; to be capricious.
- Nó mua đồ chơi mới nhưng rồi cả thèm chóng chán, bỏ đó không chơi. (He buys new toys but is quick to lose interest, leaving them unused.)
Synonyms
- Fickle: Likely to change loyalties, interests, or affections frequently.
- Opportunistic: Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance for personal gain.
- Disloyal: Not loyal or faithful to commitments or obligations.
Related Idioms
- Được voi đòi tiên: (Idiom) To be given an inch and take a mile; to be insatiably greedy.
- Thằng bé được voi đòi tiên, mua cho cái này nó lại đòi cái khác. (The boy is insatiably greedy; you buy him this thing and he immediately demands another.)
- Ăn cơm mới, nói chuyện cũ: (Idiom) To use new benefits but still talk about old stories; sometimes used to imply ingratitude or forgetting past favors in a new situation.