Definition

1. Verb:
   • To go for a stroll, to go for a walk: "bách bộ" means to walk leisurely, often for pleasure, relaxation, or light exercise, without a specific urgent destination. It implies a slow, relaxed pace.
   • To pace, to walk back and forth: In some contexts, it can describe the act of walking slowly in a limited area, such as pacing thoughtfully or waiting.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau bữa tối, ông ấy thường đi bách bộ trong công viên. (After dinner, he usually goes for a stroll in the park.)
  • Cô ấy đang bách bộ dọc theo bờ biển để thư giãn. (She is strolling along the seashore to relax.)
  • Anh ta bách bộ trước cửa phòng chờ, có vẻ rất lo lắng. (He is pacing back and forth in front of the waiting room, seeming very anxious.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đi bách bộ": This is the most common and natural collocation. The verb "đi" (to go) is almost always used with "bách bộ" to form the complete phrase meaning "to go for a walk/stroll."
  • Mỗi sáng, bà tôi đều dậy sớm để đi bách bộ. (Every morning, my grandmother wakes up early to go for a walk.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đi dạo (verb): This is a very common synonym for "đi bách bộ," meaning to go for a walk/stroll. It is slightly more casual and modern in everyday speech.
• Tản bộ (verb): A more literary or formal synonym for taking a leisurely walk.
• Đi bộ (verb): A general term meaning "to walk." It can be used for any kind of walking, including for transportation, not necessarily for leisure like "bách bộ."

Synonyms

• To stroll: to walk in a leisurely way.
• To take a walk: a general phrase for going walking.
• To pace: to walk with regular steps, especially back and forth in a confined space (this captures the secondary meaning).

Notes on Meaning

• The word "bách bộ" originates from Sino-Vietnamese, where "bách" (百) means "one hundred" and "bộ" (步) means "step." It literally suggests "a hundred steps," evoking the image of a short, leisurely walk. This etymological meaning aligns with the French phrase "faire les cent pas" found in the reference.
• Its primary meaning is a relaxed, purposeless walk. The secondary meaning of "pacing" (like in "faire les cent pas") comes from the image of walking a short distance back and forth, often due to restlessness or contemplation.

verb

1. to go for a stroll, to go for a constitutional, to go for a walk