Definition

1. Verb (Intransitive):
   • To be beheaded, to die by beheading: The primary meaning refers to the specific act of dying by having one's head cut off, typically as a form of execution.
   • To be killed in a brutal/violent manner (figurative, informal): In modern, informal usage, it can be used hyperbolically to describe being severely scolded, criticized, or figuratively "killed" in a situation like a competition or argument.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Trong thời phong kiến, nhiều tội nhân bị kết án chết chém. (In feudal times, many criminals were sentenced to be beheaded.)
  • Tên phản bội cuối cùng cũng phải chết chém. (The traitor finally had to die by beheading.)
  • (Informal) Tôi mà không hoàn thành bài tập thì chắc chắn sẽ bị thầy giáo chết chém. (If I don't finish the homework, I will definitely be severely scolded by the teacher.)
  • (Informal) Đội bóng đó bị chết chém với tỉ số 5-0. (That football team was brutally defeated with a score of 5-0.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is graphic and carries a strong, violent connotation. Its literal use is now mostly historical or found in literature/drama. The informal, figurative use is more common in contemporary spoken language but remains very colloquial and intense.

Variants and Related Words

• Chém (verb): To chop, to slash, to behead. This is the root verb from which "chết chém" is formed.
  • Hắn bị kết án chém đầu. (He was sentenced to be beheaded.)
• Xử chém (verb phrase): To execute by beheading.
  • Án xử chém được thi hành tại pháp trường. (The beheading sentence was carried out at the execution ground.)

Synonyms

• Bị chặt đầu: To be beheaded (more descriptive, less fixed as a phrase).
• Bị xử trảm: To be executed by decapitation (formal, historical/legal context).

Related Idioms

• Chết không kịp ngáp: To die instantly (without having time to gasp). This idiom shares the connotation of a sudden, violent death but is not specific to beheading.
  • Vụ nổ xảy ra khiến họ chết không kịp ngáp. (The explosion caused them to die instantly.)