Definition

1. Verb:
   • To desert: To leave one's military unit, post, or duties without permission and with no intention of returning. This is the primary and specific meaning of "bỏ ngũ".

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người lính đó đã bỏ ngũ trong đêm. (That soldier deserted during the night.)
  • Bỏ ngũ là một tội nghiêm trọng trong quân đội. (Desertion is a serious crime in the military.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "bỏ ngũ" is used almost exclusively in a military context. It carries a strong negative connotation of betrayal, cowardice, or failure to fulfill a sworn duty.

Variants and Related Words

• Kẻ bỏ ngũ (n): deserter. A person who has deserted.
  • Các kẻ bỏ ngũ sẽ bị truy nã. (The deserters will be hunted.)
• Sự bỏ ngũ (n): desertion. The act or instance of deserting.
  • Sự bỏ ngũ của hắn gây tổn hại cho tinh thần đơn vị. (His desertion damaged the unit's morale.)

Synonyms

• Desert: To abandon one's military post or duties illegally.
• Abscond (military): To leave hurriedly and secretly to avoid duty.

Related Idioms

• While "bỏ ngũ" itself is not typically part of a broader idiom, the concept is central to phrases like:
  • Bỏ hàng ngũ: Literally "to leave the ranks". This can be a more general or euphemistic way to refer to desertion or to quitting a group.

1. Desert
   • Kẻ bỏ ngũ
     Deserter