Definition

Verb: - To spend (money): To use money to pay for goods, services, or activities. This is the general and most common meaning, often implying the act of using up money.

Usage

The verb tiêu xài is used to describe the action of using money. It is neutral but can take on a negative connotation (like wastefulness) depending on the context. It is commonly used in everyday conversation about personal finances. - It is typically followed by a direct object (the amount of money or what the money is spent on). - It often appears with adverbs indicating manner (e.g., hoang phí - wastefully, khôn ngoan - wisely).

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy tiêu xài rất tiết kiệm. (He spends very frugally.)
  • Cô ấy tiêu xài số tiền thưởng vào một chuyến du lịch. (She spent the bonus money on a trip.)
  • Đừng tiêu xài hoang phí như vậy. (Don't spend so wastefully.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tiêu xài phung phí" / "Tiêu xài hoang phí": To spend lavishly/wastefully.
  • Việc tiêu xài phung phí sẽ nhanh chóng làm cạn túi. (Spending lavishly will quickly empty your wallet.)
• "Tiêu xài khôn ngoan": To spend wisely.
  • Bí quyết là phải biết tiêu xài khôn ngoan. (The secret is knowing how to spend wisely.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tiêu (verb): A more general and slightly more formal synonym meaning "to spend" or "to consume." It can be used for money, time, or resources.
  • tiêu tiền (to spend money)
• Chi tiêu (verb/noun): Very close in meaning, often used interchangeably with tiêu xài. As a noun, it means "expenditure" or "spending."
  • mức chi tiêu hàng tháng (monthly spending level)
• Xài (verb - Southern Vietnamese dialect): A colloquial, shortened form of tiêu xài, very common in speech.
  • Xài tiền (to spend money)

Synonyms

• Chi tiêu: To spend, expenditure.
• Tiêu pha: To spend (money), similar to tiêu xài.
• Dùng tiền: To use money.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Tiêu xài như nước": To spend money like water (to spend extremely lavishly).
  • Cậu ấy sau khi giàu lên thì tiêu xài như nước. (After getting rich, he spends money like water.)
• "Được mùa nào, xào mùa ấy" / "Được đồng nào, xào đồng ấy": (Literal: To harvest which season, to stir-fry that season / To earn which dollar, to spend that dollar). This idiom describes living hand-to-mouth, spending money as soon as it is earned.
  • Anh ta sống theo kiểu được đồng nào, xào đồng ấy. (He lives a hand-to-mouth lifestyle.)

verb

1. to spend