Definition

Adjective (Tính từ) 1. Greedy, avaricious: Having or showing an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. - Tham describes an excessive, insatiable, and often morally questionable desire for more than what is needed or deserved.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta là một người rất tham. (He is a very greedy person.)
  • Lòng tham của hắn không có đáy. (His greed is bottomless.)
  • Đừng tham ăn quá kẻo đau bụng. (Don't be too greedy with food or you'll get a stomachache.)

Advanced Usage

• "tham thì thâm" (idiom/proverb): Literally "greed leads to loss." It means that excessive greed often results in losing everything; it warns against overreaching.

  • Cậu nên nhớ câu "tham thì thâm", đừng ôm đồm quá nhiều việc. (You should remember the saying "greed leads to loss," don't take on too many tasks.)

• "tham công tiếc việc": To be overly engrossed in work; to be a workaholic, often to the point of neglecting other things.

  • Ông ấy tham công tiếc việc, hiếm khi dành thời gian cho gia đình. (He is so engrossed in his work that he rarely spends time with his family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tham lam (adj): A more common and emphatic synonym for tham, meaning greedy, avaricious, covetous.

  • Kẻ tham lam ấy chỉ nghĩ đến tiền. (That greedy person only thinks about money.)

• Tham vọng (n): Ambition, aspiration. While tham is negative, tham vọng can be neutral or positive, depending on context, indicating a strong desire to achieve something.

  • Cô ấy có tham vọng trở thành giám đốc. (She has the ambition to become a director.)

• Tham nhũng (n): Corruption, the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. This is a compound noun derived from the concept of greed in a position of power.

  • Cuộc chiến chống tham nhũng đang được đẩy mạnh. (The fight against corruption is being intensified.)

Synonyms

• Ham muốn (v/n): To desire / desire. This is a more general term for wanting something, not necessarily with the negative connotation of excess that carries.
• Thèm khát (v): To crave, to yearn for. Often used for strong desires, sometimes but not always negative.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Tham vàng bỏ ngãi": To abandon loyalty for the sake of wealth; to be disloyal for money.

  • Hắn là kẻ tham vàng bỏ ngãi, sẵn sàng phản bội bạn bè. (He is someone who abandons friends for gold, ready to betray his friends.)

• "Tham quyền cố vị": To cling to power and position; to be unwilling to give up authority.

  • Những kẻ tham quyền cố vị thường là trở ngại cho cải cách. (Those who cling to power and position are often obstacles to reform.)

• "Tham đó bỏ đăng" (archaic): To be unfaithful in love; to be fickle.

adj

1. greedy avaricious