ăn dè
Definition
- Verb:
- To eat sparingly / to ration one's food: The primary meaning of "ăn dè" is to consume food in small, measured amounts, often to make a limited supply last longer.
- To be frugal with food / to eat modestly: It implies a conscious restraint in eating, typically due to scarcity or the need for careful management of resources.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Trong thời kỳ khó khăn, cả gia đình phải ăn dè từng hạt gạo. (During the difficult period, the whole family had to ration every grain of rice.)
- Bà cụ có thói quen ăn dè dù con cháu mua đầy đủ thức ăn. (The old woman has the habit of eating sparingly even though her children buy plenty of food.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a connotation of hardship, necessity, or ingrained frugality. It is not simply "dieting" for health but conserving due to limited means.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe being frugal or conservative with non-food resources, though this is an extended figurative use.
Variants and Related Words
- Dè xẻn (adj/verb): to be sparing, to use frugally. This is a close synonym that applies to things beyond just food.
- Cô ấy dè xẻn từng đồng để tiết kiệm. (She is sparing with every penny to save.)
Synonyms
- To ration: to control the amount of something each person uses.
- To economize (on food): to use food carefully to avoid waste.
- To be abstemious: to be moderate in eating and drinking.
Related Idioms
- Ăn dè hà tiện: to be stingy or miserly with food. This intensifies the meaning to imply excessive, perhaps ungenerous, frugality.
- Ông chủ ăn dè hà tiện với cả nhân viên. (The boss is stingy with food even towards his employees.)