Definition

1. Verb:
   • To set off, to start walking, to begin a journey: "cất bước" describes the specific action of lifting one's foot to take the first step, initiating movement or departure, often for a journey. It implies the commencement of travel or a significant step forward.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy cất bước ra đi từ sáng sớm. (He set off early in the morning.)
  • Sau lời tạm biệt, cô cất bước về nhà. (After saying goodbye, she started walking home.)
  • Chúng tôi đã cất bước lên đường khi trời vừa hửng sáng. (We set off on our journey at the first light of dawn.)

Advanced Usage

• "cất bước lên đường": to set off on a journey/path.

  • Với hành trang gọn nhẹ, chàng trai trẻ cất bước lên đường. (With light luggage, the young man set off on his journey.)

• "cất bước đầu tiên": to take the first step (often figurative).

  • Dự án mới đã chính thức cất bước đầu tiên. (The new project has officially taken its first step.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bước đi (verb): to walk, to step. A more general term for walking.
• Khởi hành (verb): to depart, to commence a trip. Focuses more on the departure itself rather than the physical first step.
• Lên đường (verb phrase): to hit the road, to embark on a journey.

Synonyms

• Ra đi: to leave, to depart.
• Lên đường: to embark, to set out.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "cất bước" itself is a fixed phrase and does not combine with other particles to form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. Its meaning is contained within the phrase.)

Related Idioms

• "Cất bước gian nan": to embark on a difficult journey/path.
  • Hành trình chinh phục ước mơ luôn phải cất bước gian nan. (The journey to conquer one's dreams always requires setting off through hardships.)

1. Set off
   • Cất bước lên đường
     To set off on a journey