bôi đen
Definition
Verb: - To blacken: To apply a black color or substance to something, literally making it dark. - To vilify / to denigrate / to paint a gloomy picture of: To deliberately make someone or something seem bad, immoral, or negative by spreading false or damaging information; to tarnish a reputation or image.
Usage Examples
- Literal:
- Anh ấy dùng sơn để bôi đen bức tường. (He used paint to blacken the wall.)
- Figurative (most common):
- Bài báo đó cố tình bôi đen uy tín của công ty. (That article deliberately blackens the company's reputation.)
- Đừng nghe những kẻ chỉ muốn bôi đen thành tích của anh. (Don't listen to those who only want to vilify your achievements.)
Advanced Usage
- Used frequently in political, social, or media contexts to describe smear campaigns or defamation.
- Chiến dịch đó nhằm bôi đen hình ảnh của ứng cử viên. (That campaign aims to tarnish the candidate's image.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bôi nhọ (v): to smear, to defame. A stronger synonym for the figurative meaning.
- Họ tìm cách bôi nhọ đối thủ. (They seek ways to smear their opponent.)
Synonyms
- Defame: To damage the good reputation of someone.
- Slander: To make false spoken statements damaging to a person's reputation.
- Malign: To speak about someone in a spitefully critical manner.
- Tarnish: To diminish or destroy the luster or good quality of.
Related Idioms/Phrases
- Bôi đen lịch sử: to distort/blacken history.
- Không được phép bôi đen lịch sử dân tộc. (It is not permissible to blacken the nation's history.)
verb
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To paint a gloomy picture of
