Definition

1. Verb:
   • To enclose, to surround, to encircle: To cover or form a boundary around something on all sides.
   • To protect, to shield, to defend: To provide care, support, and defense for someone, often from harm or difficulty.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To enclose/surround):

  • Một lớp không khí dày bao bọc quả đất. (A thick layer of air encloses the earth.)
  • Ngôi biệt thự có tường cao bao bọc. (The villa is enclosed/surrounded by high walls.)
  • Sương mù bao bọc ngọn núi. (The fog envelops/surrounds the mountain peak.)

• Verb (To protect/shield):

  • Cha mẹ luôn bao bọc con cái. (Parents always protect/shield their children.)
  • Anh ấy được đồng đội bao bọc trong mọi tình huống nguy hiểm. (He is protected/defended by his teammates in every dangerous situation.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bao bọc lấy nhau": To protect/shield each other; implies mutual support and care within a group.

  • Trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn, họ biết bao bọc lấy nhau. (In difficult circumstances, they know how to protect and support each other.)

• Used in a negative or critical sense: Can imply excessive, stifling protection that hinders independence.

  • Bao bọc con quá kỹ có thể khiến chúng thiếu kỹ năng sống. (Overprotecting children too much can make them lack life skills.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bao quanh (verb): To surround, to encircle. Often used more for physical surrounding.
  • Hàng cây bao quanh ngôi nhà. (Trees surround the house.)
• Che chở (verb): To protect, to shelter. Focuses more on the aspect of providing refuge and safety.
  • Luật pháp che chở người yếu thế. (The law protects the vulnerable.)
• Sự bao bọc (noun): The act of enclosing or protecting; protection.
  • Đứa trẻ lớn lên trong sự bao bọc của gia đình. (The child grew up under the protection of the family.)

Synonyms

• Vây quanh: To surround, to besiege.
• Bảo vệ: To protect, to guard.
• Phù hộ: To bless, to protect (often with a spiritual connotation).

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Bao bọc, che chở: A common paired phrase meaning "to protect and shelter."
  • Quê hương bao bọc, che chở tôi. (My homeland protects and shelters me.)
• Được bao bọc bởi...: To be enclosed/protected by...
  • Thị trấn nhỏ được bao bọc bởi những cánh rừng. (The small town is enclosed by forests.)

Related Idioms

• Bao bọc như trứng: To protect as carefully as an egg; to be overprotective.
  • Cô ấy bao bọc đứa con duy nhất như trứng. (She protects her only child as carefully as an egg.)
• Lòng bao bọc: A compassionate, protective heart.
  • Anh ấy có một tấm lòng bao bọc rộng lớn. (He has a great, protective heart.)

verb

1. To enclose
   • một lớp không khí dầy bao bọc quả đất
     a thick layer of air encloses the earth
   • ngôi biệt thự có tường cao bao bọc
     a villa enclosed by high walls