Definition

1. Noun:
   • Scaffold: A raised platform, historically made of wood, used for the public execution of criminals, typically by beheading or hanging. The term carries a strong historical and literary connotation, often associated with pre-modern justice.
   • Execution block/place: More broadly, it can refer to the specific location or structure where an execution is carried out.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tên tội phạm bị dẫn lên đoạn đầu đài. (The criminal was led to the scaffold.)
  • Hình ảnh đoạn đầu đài gợi lên nỗi sợ hãi thời xưa. (The image of the scaffold evokes the fears of ancient times.)
  • Vở kịch kết thúc với cảnh ông ấy đứng trước đoạn đầu đài. (The play ends with him standing before the execution block.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lên đoạn đầu đài": An idiomatic phrase meaning "to go to the scaffold" or "to be executed." It is used both literally and figuratively to imply facing ultimate punishment or a dire, inescapable consequence.
  • Kẻ phản bội cuối cùng cũng phải lên đoạn đầu đài. (The traitor finally had to go to the scaffold.)
  • Với quyết định đó, anh ta tự đưa mình lên đoạn đầu đài trong sự nghiệp. (With that decision, he sent himself to the scaffold in his career.)

Variants and Related Words

• Máy chém (n): Guillotine. A specific, more modern execution device introduced later in history.
• Giá treo cổ (n): Gallows. Specifically for execution by hanging.

Synonyms

• Giàn giáo hành quyết: Execution scaffold (a more descriptive synonym).
• Nơi hành hình: Place of execution (a more general term).

Related Idioms

• "Lên đoạn đầu đài": As detailed in the Advanced Usage section, this is the primary and most common idiom associated with the word. It signifies meeting one's end or facing a severe downfall.

1. Scaffold
   • Lên đoạn đầu đài
     To go to the scaffold