bạch oan

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To prove one's innocence / to clear one's name: The primary meaning of "bạch oan" is to take action to demonstrate that one has been wrongly accused or to overturn an unjust conviction. It involves presenting evidence or arguments to show a miscarriage of justice.
   • To redress a grievance / to right a wrong: This extends to the act of rectifying an injustice, specifically where an innocent person has been condemned.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người tù quyết tâm bạch oan cho mình. (The prisoner is determined to prove his innocence.)
  • Gia đình nạn nhân đang tìm cách bạch oan. (The victim's family is seeking a way to clear his name.)
  • Luật sư đã giúp bị cáo bạch oan trước tòa. (The lawyer helped the defendant prove his innocence in court.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in formal, legal, or literary contexts concerning wrongful accusations, judicial errors, or historical injustices. It carries a strong emotional weight of suffering unjustly and the struggle for vindication.

Variants and Related Words

• Minh oan (v): a near-synonym meaning to prove innocence or to justify oneself.
  • Anh ấy viết thư lên quan để minh oan. (He wrote a letter to the authorities to plead his innocence.)

Synonyms

• To exonerate: to absolve from blame.
• To vindicate: to clear from accusation, blame, or suspicion.
• To clear one's name: to prove one is not guilty.

Related Idioms

• While "bạch oan" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it relates conceptually to phrases about injustice:
  • Oan ức chất chồng: to have accumulated layers of grievances/injustices.

    • Lời nói dối khiến cho oan ức chất chồng. (The lie led to piled-up injustices.)