Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cut, to carve, to shape by cutting: The primary meaning refers to the action of using a sharp-edged tool (like an adze or chisel) to remove small pieces from a solid material (like wood or stone) to give it a desired shape.
   • To squeeze, to extort, to milk (money): A figurative, colloquial meaning referring to the act of gradually and persistently taking money from someone, often in a sly or exploitative manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To cut/carve):
  • Người thợ đẽo khúc gỗ thành tượng. (The craftsman carved the log into a statue.)
  • Chiếc cối này được đẽo từ một khối đá nguyên. (This mortar was hewn from a solid block of stone.)
• Verb (To squeeze money):
  • Tên lừa đảo đó luôn tìm cách đẽo tiền của người già. (That scammer always finds ways to squeeze money from the elderly.)
  • Chủ quán bị cáo buộc đẽo tiền của khách hàng qua các khoản phí ẩn. (The shop owner was accused of milking customers with hidden fees.)

Advanced Usage

• "đẽo đẵn": To carve and shape meticulously. This compound emphasizes the careful, detailed work of carving.
  • Nghệ nhân đẽo đẵn từng chi tiết trên bức tượng gỗ. (The artisan meticulously carved every detail on the wooden statue.)
• The figurative use () is often used in critical or negative contexts to describe corruption, exploitation, or deceitful financial practices.

Variants and Related Words

• Đục (verb): To chisel. A more specific tool, often used for finer work or on harder materials.
• Gọt (verb): To pare, to whittle. Often implies shaping by cutting away thin slices or shavings, sometimes with a knife.
• Bào (verb): To plane. Specifically refers to smoothing or shaping wood with a plane.
• Nạo (verb): To scrape. Refers to removing material from a surface with a scraping motion.

Synonyms

• Chạm khắc (verb): To engrave, to sculpt. Focuses on creating decorative designs or art.
• Bòn rút (verb): To pilfer, to siphon off. A close synonym for the figurative meaning of extracting money gradually and sneakily.
• Vắt kiệt (verb): To wring dry, to squeeze dry. A stronger term for exploiting someone financially.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Đẽo gọt (verb phrase): To carve and refine. Used both literally (for shaping objects) and figuratively (for refining language, plans, etc.).
  • Anh ấy dành nhiều thời gian đẽo gọt bài phát biểu của mình. (He spent a lot of time refining his speech.)

Related Idioms

• Đẽo cày giữa đường: Literally "to carve a plow in the middle of the road." This idiom criticizes someone who constantly changes their plans or opinions based on others' comments instead of sticking to their original idea.
  • Anh đừng có đẽo cày giữa đường, hãy quyết định và làm theo kế hoạch của mình. (Don't keep changing your mind based on every opinion; decide and stick to your own plan.)

verb

1. to cut; to squeeze (money)