ti hào
Definition
- Noun:
- A very small amount; a tiny bit; an iota: This is the primary meaning. "Ti hào" is used to emphasize an extremely small quantity or degree of something, often in a negative context to mean "not at all" or "not even a little bit."
- A trifle; a negligible thing: It can refer to something so small it is insignificant or not worth considering.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Anh ta không thiếu ti hào nào. (He is not short a single penny / He lacks nothing at all.)
- Tôi không quan tâm ti hào nào đến chuyện đó. (I don't care one iota about that matter.)
- Không có ti hào bằng chứng nào chống lại anh ấy. (There isn't a shred of evidence against him.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in negative constructions (with "không" - not) to reinforce the completeness of the negation. It functions as a measure word for intangible things like interest, concern, or evidence.
- "Ti hào" is considered a literary or formal term. In everyday spoken Vietnamese, words like "tí nào", "chút nào", or "chút xíu" are more common for similar emphasis.
Variants and Related Words
- Tơ hào (Noun): This is the original, more formal variant meaning the same thing: a minute amount, a trifle. "Ti hào" is a common phonetic alteration of "tơ hào."
- Không sai tơ hào. (Not wrong in the slightest.)
Synonyms
- Iota: a very small amount.
- Jot: a tiny bit.
- Whit: the smallest part or particle imaginable.
- Scintilla: a tiny trace or amount.
- Shred: a very small amount of something intangible (e.g., evidence, doubt).
Related Idioms
- Không sai ti hào / tơ hào: To be not the least bit wrong; to be absolutely accurate.
- Bản báo cáo phải chính xác, không sai tơ hào. (The report must be accurate, without the slightest error.)
- Không thiếu ti hào: To lack nothing; to have everything needed.
- Cô ấy được chuẩn bị đầy đủ, không thiếu ti hào. (She was fully prepared, lacking nothing.)