Definition

1. Verb:
   • To hold on (to a position): To maintain one's presence or position in a place, especially a military or strategic location, despite difficulty, opposition, or attack. It implies resilience and a refusal to withdraw.
   • To cling on / to dig in: To persist tenaciously in a place, job, or situation during challenging circumstances.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đơn vị quyết tâm bám trụ tại ngọn đồi chiến lược. (The unit was determined to hold on to the strategic hill.)
  • Công ty gặp khó khăn, nhưng đội ngũ nhân viên vẫn bám trụ. (The company faced difficulties, but the staff still clung on.)
  • Họ bám trụ ở vùng đất này suốt mùa mưa bão. (They held on in this land throughout the stormy season.)

Advanced Usage

• "bám trụ dai dẳng": to hold on stubbornly or tenaciously.
  • Quân du kích bám trụ dai dẳng trong khu rừng. (The guerrillas held on tenaciously in the forest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trụ lại (v): to stay, to remain (often in a place). This word shares the core idea of staying put but may lack the connotation of "clinging" against adversity inherent in "bám trụ."
  • Anh ấy quyết định trụ lại thành phố để lập nghiệp. (He decided to stay in the city to start a career.)

Synonyms

• Hold out: to resist an enemy or withstand pressure in a position.
• Stick it out: to endure an unpleasant situation.
• Persist: to continue firmly in an action despite obstacles.

Related Idioms

• Bám trụ như đỉa: to cling on like a leech; to be extremely persistent and hard to remove from a position or place.
  • Dù bị đuổi nhiều lần, hắn vẫn bám trụ như đỉa ở quán bar. (Even though he was thrown out many times, he still clung to the bar like a leech.)

1. Hold on to (a military position)