Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To risk one's life; to expose oneself to danger: The phrase "đem thân" literally means "to bring one's body/self." It is used to describe the act of voluntarily placing oneself in a situation of great peril or hardship, often for a cause, duty, or another person. It implies significant personal sacrifice and courage.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Anh ấy đem thân ra chiến trường vì tổ quốc. (He risked his life on the battlefield for the nation.)
  • Cô ấy đem thân vào nơi nguy hiểm để cứu đứa trẻ. (She exposed herself to danger to save the child.)
  • Không nên đem thân vào những cuộc tranh chấp vô ích. (One should not risk oneself in useless conflicts.)

Advanced Usage

• "đem thân ra": to bring oneself out (into a situation). Often used with locations like "chiến trường" (battlefield) or "chốn hiểm nguy" (place of danger).

  • Chàng trai trẻ quyết đem thân ra biển cả. (The young man decided to risk his life on the open sea.)

• "đem thân vào": to bring oneself into (a situation). Often used with abstract concepts like "vòng nguy hiểm" (circle of danger) or "cảnh khó khăn" (difficult circumstances).

  • Bà đã đem thân vào cảnh khốn cùng để nuôi con. (She plunged herself into destitution to raise her child.)

Variants and Related Words

• Liều mạng / Liều mình (verb phrase): to risk one's neck; to act recklessly with one's life. This is a close synonym but can sometimes imply more recklessness than the deliberate sacrifice in "đem thân."

  • Hắn liều mạng lao vào đám cháy. (He recklessly rushed into the fire.)

• Xả thân (verb): to sacrifice oneself; to devote oneself body and soul. This emphasizes total dedication and self-sacrifice, often for an ideal.

  • Anh ấy xả thân vì sự nghiệp cách mạng. (He sacrificed himself for the revolutionary cause.)

Synonyms

• Mạo hiểm tính mạng: to hazard one's life.
• Hi sinh bản thân: to sacrifice oneself.

Related Idioms

• "Đem thân làm giá": To use one's own life/body as a bargaining chip or pledge. This idiom highlights the ultimate stake being one's own existence.

  • Trong cuộc đàm phán căng thẳng, ông ta sẵn sàng đem thân làm giá. (In the tense negotiation, he was willing to stake his own life.)

• "Đem thân tác chước": A more literary variant meaning to use oneself as a measure or instrument, implying self-sacrifice as a means to an end. (Note: This is an older, less common usage.)

1. Risk one's life
   • Đem thân ra chốn chiến trường
     To risk one's life at th battlefield