bắt bớ

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Thân thiện

Cảnh sát bắt bớ một người đàn ông.

Definition

Verb:
- To arrest, to apprehend, to detain: The primary meaning of "bắt bớ" is the act of seizing and taking someone into custody, typically by authorities like the police. It often implies the action is done repeatedly, arbitrarily, or oppressively.
- To harass through arrests: The term frequently carries a negative connotation, suggesting arrests are made in a sweeping, unjust, or intimidating manner, rather than a single, lawful procedure.

Usage Examples

Verb:
- Bị cảnh sát bắt bớ nhiều lần. (To be arrested harassingly by the police many times.)
- Chính quyền không được tùy tiện bắt bớ người dân. (The authorities must not arbitrarily arrest citizens.)
- Họ bị bắt bớ vì tham gia biểu tình ôn hòa. (They were arrested for participating in a peaceful protest.)

Advanced Usage

The word "bắt bớ" is often used in political, social, or human rights contexts to criticize the unjust or excessive use of arrest powers by state forces. It is stronger and more critical than the neutral word "bắt" (to catch/arrest).

Variants and Related Words

Bắt (v): to catch, to arrest. This is the neutral, base verb.
- Cảnh sát bắt tên trộm. (The police caught the thief.)
Bắt giữ (v): to detain, to hold in custody. This is a more formal legal term.
- Nghi phạm bị bắt giữ 48 giờ. (The suspect was detained for 48 hours.)
Truy bắt (v): to pursue and capture.
- Lực lượng an ninh đang truy bắt tội phạm. (Security forces are pursuing the criminal.)

Synonyms

Related Idioms

While "bắt bớ" itself functions almost idiomatically to imply unjust arrests, a related phrase is:
- Bắt bớ, giam cầm: to arrest and imprison. This phrase emphasizes the full cycle of detention.
  - Hàng trăm người biểu tình bị bắt bớ, giam cầm. (Hundreds of protesters were arrested and imprisoned.)

Cảnh sát bắt bớ một người đàn ông.

verb

To arrest
- bị cảnh sát bắt bớ nhiều lần
  many times arrested harassingly by the police

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