bóp bẹp
Definition
- Verb:
- To flatten, to crush, to squash: To apply pressure to an object, typically with the hands or fingers, causing it to lose its original three-dimensional shape and become flat or deformed. It implies a forceful, often destructive, compression.
- To suppress, to quash, to crush (figurative): To completely defeat, nullify, or render something (like a plan, hope, or opposition) ineffective, similar to physically crushing it.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đứa trẻ bóp bẹp chiếc hộp giấy. (The child flattened the cardboard box.)
- Chiếc ô tô đã bị bóp bẹp trong vụ tai nạn. (The car was crushed in the accident.)
- Kế hoạch của họ đã bị bóp bẹp ngay từ đầu. (Their plan was quashed from the very beginning.)
Advanced Usage
"bóp bẹp ý chí": to crush someone's will/spirit.
- Những lời chỉ trích nặng nề có thể bóp bẹp ý chí sáng tạo. (Harsh criticism can crush creative spirit.)
"bóp bẹp hy vọng": to dash/crush hopes.
- Tin xấu đã bóp bẹp mọi hy vọng của họ. (The bad news dashed all their hopes.)
Variants and Related Words
Bóp (verb): to squeeze, to press (often with fingers). A more general term for applying pressure.
- Bóp kem đánh răng. (To squeeze toothpaste.)
Bẹp (adjective): flattened, crushed, dented. Describes the state of being flat or deformed.
- Quả bóng bị bẹp. (The ball is deflated/flat.)
Synonyms
- Làm bẹp: to make flat/dented.
- Nghiền nát: to crush, to smash to pieces (often implies more complete destruction).
- Đè bẹp: to press/squash flat (can be literal or figurative).
Related Idioms
- "Đời cha vo tròn, đời con bóp bẹp": A proverb meaning "The father molds it round, the son flattens it." It is used to criticize the next generation for ruining or undoing what the previous generation carefully built or preserved. It highlights a decline or destruction of heritage, effort, or value across generations.
- Công ty gia đình phá sản, đúng là "đời cha vo tròn, đời con bóp bẹp". (The family company went bankrupt, truly a case of "the father builds it, the son destroys it.")