Definition

1. Verb:
   • To earn one's living; to subsist; to support oneself: The act of working or finding ways to sustain one's own life, often implying a basic, day-to-day, or hand-to-mouth existence.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau khi mất việc, anh ấy phải đi bán báo để độ thân. (After losing his job, he had to sell newspapers to earn his living.)
  • Cô ấy sống một mình và tự độ thân bằng nghề may vá. (She lives alone and supports herself through sewing.)
  • Trong thời gian khó khăn, nhiều người chỉ đủ khả năng độ thân. (During hard times, many people can only manage to subsist.)

Advanced Usage

• This verb often carries a nuance of modest or precarious living, focusing on mere survival rather than prosperity. It is frequently used in contexts of independence, hardship, or simple living.

Variants and Related Words

• Tự lập (verb): To be independent; to stand on one's own feet. (Focuses more on independence than the economic aspect of survival.)
• Kiếm sống (verb): To make a living; to earn a living. (A more common and general synonym.)
• Mưu sinh (verb): To earn a livelihood; to seek a means of living. (Often used in more formal or literary contexts.)

Synonyms

• Subsist: To maintain or support oneself, especially at a minimal level.
• Support oneself: To provide for one's own needs.
• Eke out a living: To manage to make a living with difficulty.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Độ thân qua ngày: To subsist day by day.
  • Ông cụ già chỉ độ thân qua ngày bằng nghề đánh giày. (The old man merely subsists day by day by shining shoes.)
• Tự độ thân: To support oneself (emphasizing self-reliance).
  • Từ năm 18 tuổi, cậu ấy đã phải tự độ thân. (Since he was 18, he has had to support himself.)

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is centered on the individual's act of sustaining their own life. It does not imply supporting others (like a family). The reference from the Vietnamese-Vietnamese dictionary ("Tự nuôi sống lần hồi cho qua ngày") perfectly captures its essence: to feed oneself intermittently just to get through the day.

verb

1. To earn one's living