Definition

1. Verb:
   • To massacre, to slaughter: To kill people violently and on a large scale, typically with bladed weapons like swords or knives. It implies brutal, indiscriminate killing, often in a conflict or chaotic situation.
   • To kill each other (mutually): Describes a situation where groups or individuals are engaged in violent, reciprocal killing.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Quân xâm lược tiến vào và chém giết dân thường. (The invaders advanced and massacred the civilians.)
  • Hai bên tranh giành quyền lực, chém giết lẫn nhau. (The two sides fought for power, killing each other.)
  • Cảnh chém giết trên chiến trường thật khủng khiếp. (The slaughter on the battlefield was horrific.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "chém giết" is often used in historical, literary, or journalistic contexts to describe violent upheavals, wars, or brutal conflicts. It carries a strong connotation of chaos and savagery.
• It can be used figuratively in competitive contexts to describe ruthless elimination, though this is less common.
  • Thị trường chứng khoán đang chém giết khốc liệt. (The stock market is undergoing a brutal slaughter.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tàn sát (v): to massacre, to slaughter. A close synonym, often used interchangeably with "chém giết," though "tàn sát" can imply killing to the point of annihilation.
• Giết chóc (v): to kill, slaughter. A general term for killing, but less specific to bladed weapons or large-scale events than "chém giết."
• Chém (v): to chop, to slash. The core action within "chém giết."

Synonyms

• Massacre: To kill a large number of people indiscriminately.
• Slaughter: To kill people or animals violently and in large numbers.
• Butcher: To kill brutally or indiscriminately.

Related Idioms

• Chém giết lẫn nhau: To kill each other; mutual slaughter.
  • Mâu thuẫn nội bộ dẫn đến cảnh chém giết lẫn nhau. (Internal conflict led to a scene of mutual slaughter.)
• Nồi da nấu thịt: Literally "cooking flesh in its own skin." An idiom describing a brutal, internecine conflict where people from the same group or family destroy each other. This idiom is frequently associated with situations described by "chém giết."
  • Cuộc nội chiến là một bi kịch nồi da nấu thịt. (The civil war was a tragic "cooking flesh in its own skin" scenario.)

1. To massacre, to slaughter