tính sổ
Definition
- Verb:
- To settle accounts: The primary meaning of "tính sổ" is to calculate and finalize a financial debt or bill, ensuring all payments are made and the account is closed.
- To settle scores / to have a reckoning: Figuratively, it means to confront someone to resolve a past conflict, grievance, or dispute, often implying a final confrontation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Hai bên gặp nhau để tính sổ các khoản nợ. (The two parties met to settle the debts.)
- Anh ta muốn tính sổ với kẻ đã phản bội mình. (He wants to settle scores with the person who betrayed him.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used in contexts of finality and resolution, whether in business or personal conflicts. It carries a connotation of bringing a matter to a conclusive end.
Variants and Related Words
- Thanh toán (v): to pay, to settle (a bill). This is a more general term for payment without the figurative connotation of confrontation.
- Quyết toán (v): to finalize accounts, often used in official or accounting contexts.
Synonyms
- Settle accounts: To pay what is owed.
- Reckon: To calculate or to confront consequences.
- Square accounts: An idiomatic synonym for settling debts or grievances.
Related Idioms
- Tính sổ cuối năm: To settle accounts at the end of the year. This can refer literally to financial closing or figuratively to reviewing and resolving yearly matters.
- Công ty đang bận rộn tính sổ cuối năm. (The company is busy with year-end account settlement.)