Definition

1. Verb:
   • To repay a debt: To give back money that one has borrowed from another person or institution.
   • To settle a score / To pay a debt of gratitude (figurative): To fulfill a moral or social obligation, such as returning a favor or atoning for a past action.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy làm việc chăm chỉ để trả nợ ngân hàng. (He works hard to repay the bank debt.)
  • Cô ấy mời tôi ăn tối để trả nợ lần tôi đã giúp cô. (She bought me dinner to repay the favor for the time I helped her.)

Advanced Usage

• "trả nợ đời": A poetic or philosophical phrase meaning to fulfill one's existential duties or to face the consequences of one's life choices.
  • Ông ấy xem việc chăm sóc gia đình như một cách trả nợ đời. (He sees taking care of his family as a way to settle his debt to life.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trả hết nợ (v): to pay off a debt completely.

  • Cuối cùng tôi cũng trả hết nợ sinh viên. (I finally paid off my student debt.)

• Trả nợ xong (v): to be done repaying a debt.

  • Cảm giác thật tuyệt khi trả nợ xong. (It feels great to be done repaying the debt.)

Synonyms

• Repay: To pay back money.
• Settle: To pay what is owed.
• Discharge: To fulfill or settle a financial obligation.

Related Idioms

• Trả nợ miệng: Literally "to repay a debt with one's mouth"; to show gratitude only with words or promises, without tangible action.

  • Đừng chỉ trả nợ miệng, hãy thể hiện bằng hành động. (Don't just pay a debt with words, show it with actions.)

• Trả nợ như chúa chổm: To be perpetually in debt; based on a historical anecdote about a king constantly in debt.

  • Công ty đó trả nợ như chúa chổm, luôn luôn thiếu tiền. (That company is constantly in debt, always short of money.)