Definition

1. Verb:
   • To send a telegram: The primary meaning refers to the act of transmitting a message via telegraph, a historical communication method using electrical signals sent over wires ("dây thép" literally means "steel wire").
   • To wire (money/information): By extension, it can refer to sending a message or money via a wired transfer system.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy đã đánh dây thép báo tin về quê. (He sent a telegram to relay the news back to his hometown.)
  • Trước đây, muốn liên lạc nhanh, người ta phải đánh dây thép. (In the past, to communicate quickly, people had to send a telegram.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is now considered archaic (cũ) as the telegraph system is largely obsolete. It is primarily encountered in historical contexts, literature, or when older generations speak about past communication methods.
• The phrase "đánh dây thép" is synonymous with "đánh điện", which also means "to send a telegram".

Variants and Related Words

• Đánh điện (verb): To send a telegram. This is a direct synonym.
• Điện tín (noun): Telegram (the message itself).
• Dây thép (noun): Literally "steel wire"; historically refers to the telegraph wire.

Synonyms

• Gửi điện tín: To send a telegram.
• Télégraphier (French loanword in historical Vietnamese contexts): To telegraph.

Related Phrases

• Bức điện / Bức điện tín: The telegram (the physical message).
  • Ông nhận được một bức điện tín khẩn. (He received an urgent telegram.)

1. (cũ) như đánh điện