xổi
Definition
Adjective:
- Quick, hasty, or temporary: Describes something done hastily, for immediate use or short-term benefit, often without proper preparation or long-term planning. It implies a lack of permanence or depth.
- Short-term (in financial contexts): Specifically refers to loans or debts that are taken for a very brief duration.
Adverb:
- In a quick, temporary, or makeshift manner: Describes the manner of doing something with a focus on immediate results rather than quality or longevity.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Anh ấy có thói quen vay xổi. (He has a habit of taking out short-term loans.)
- Đây là món cà muối xổi, ăn liền trong ngày. (This is quick-pickled eggplant, for eating the same day.)
- Adverb / In common phrases:
- Họ sống theo kiểu ăn xổi ở thì. (They live in a hand-to-mouth, day-to-day manner.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "xổi" is most frequently used in set phrases that critique a short-sighted or unsustainable approach to life, work, or planning. It carries a slightly negative connotation of carelessness or lack of foresight.
Variants and Related Words
- Ăn xổi: (verb phrase) To do something in a hasty, temporary way to get by; to seek immediate, often shallow, benefit.
- Làm xổi: (verb phrase) To do work hastily, without proper care or foundation.
Synonyms
- Temporary: Lasting for only a limited period.
- Makeshift: Serving as a temporary substitute; improvised.
- Hasty: Done with excessive speed or urgency; hurried.
- Short-term: Involving or lasting a short period of time.
Related Idioms
- Ăn xổi ở thì: To live hand-to-mouth or for the moment. This idiom describes a lifestyle with no long-term plans or security, focusing only on immediate daily needs.
- Công việc bấp bênh khiến họ phải ăn xổi ở thì. (Unstable work forces them to live hand-to-mouth.)