Definition

1. Verb:
   • To send a telegram; to cable: The act of transmitting a written message over a distance using telegraph or cable technology. This term is now largely historical, referring to a form of communication that has been superseded by modern methods like email and instant messaging.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy đánh điện báo tin cho gia đình. (He sent a telegram to inform his family.)
  • Trong thời chiến, việc đánh điện là phương thức liên lạc quan trọng. (During wartime, sending telegrams was an important means of communication.)
  • Cô ấy đã đánh điện chúc mừng họ. (She cabled her congratulations to them.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "đánh điện" is specific to the historical technology of the telegraph. It is rarely used in contemporary contexts except when discussing historical events or in literary works to evoke a past era.
• It implies a sense of urgency or formality, as telegrams were often used for important or time-sensitive news.

Variants and Related Words

• Điện tín (n): Telegram; cablegram. The message itself that is sent.
  • Tôi nhận được một bức điện tín. (I received a telegram.)
• Gửi điện (v): A less common, more literal synonym for "to send a telegram."
• Telegram (n): The English loanword sometimes used in Vietnamese.

Synonyms

• Gửi thư điện (v): This is a more modern term meaning "to send an email" and is not a direct synonym for the historical "đánh điện." It highlights the shift in technology.
• Báo tin (v): To inform, to send news. This is a broader term that can encompass the purpose of "đánh điện" without specifying the medium.

Related Phrases

• Đánh điện khẩn: To send an urgent/express telegram.
  • Họ phải đánh điện khẩn để xin viện trợ. (They had to send an urgent cable to request aid.)

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms directly built around the verb "đánh điện". Its usage is primarily literal and technical.

1. Send a cable, send a telegrame, cable