rẻ như rác rưởi

/zɛ̂ nʲɨ̂ râːk zɨə̰j/

idiom★Intermediate— extremely cheap◆idiom

◆ What It Really Means

Describes something that is very inexpensive, often implying low quality or value.

¶ Literal Meaning

As cheap as garbage.

Literal Breakdown

rẻcheap+rác rưởigarbage

◇ Mental Image

The mental image of garbage, which is worthless and discarded, is used to emphasize the low value of the item.

◈ When to Use

When shopping at a flea market and finding items priced very low, you might say 'Cái này rẻ như rác rưởi' to describe the low prices.

◉ Cultural Note

This idiom reflects the Vietnamese cultural emphasis on value for money and the perception that very cheap items are often of poor quality.

informal

Describes something that is very inexpensive, often implying low quality or value.

Cửa hàng bán đồ cũ này, tất cả hàng đều rẻ như rác rưởi.

This secondhand store sells everything at dirt-cheap prices.

Tôi không mua đồ rẻ như rác rưởi vì thường không bền.

I don't buy dirt-cheap items because they usually don't last.

💡

This idiom is commonly used to describe very low prices, often with a negative connotation about quality.

Collocations

cheap as dirt

expensive as gold

This idiom is informal and often used in casual conversation to describe very low prices.

The idiom combines 'rẻ' (cheap) with 'rác rưởi' (garbage), emphasizing the low value of the item.

This phrase is informal and often used in everyday conversation to describe very low prices, sometimes implying poor quality.

rẻ

cheap

root

rác rưởi

garbage

root

Từ Điển Việt Anh