Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:

   • To resist, to oppose, to put up a fight: To actively fight back or stand against an attack, force, or authority.
   • To hold out, to withstand: To endure or sustain an assault or pressure without yielding.

2. Transitive Verb:

   • To resist (something/someone): To act against or refuse to accept a specific force, action, or entity.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:

  • Kẻ tình nghi đã chống cự quyết liệt khi cảnh sát tìm cách bắt giữ. (The suspect resisted fiercely when the police tried to arrest him.)
  • Quân đội nhỏ bé ấy đã chống cự trong nhiều tuần trước khi thất thủ. (That small army held out for many weeks before falling.)

• Transitive Verb:

  • Người dân trong làng quyết tâm chống cự quân xâm lược. (The villagers were determined to resist the invading army.)
  • Anh ấy cố gắng chống cự cơn buồn ngủ để hoàn thành công việc. (He tried to resist the drowsiness to finish his work.)

Advanced Usage

• "chống cự đến cùng": to resist to the end, to fight to the last.

  • Họ thề sẽ chống cự đến cùng để bảo vệ thành phố. (They vowed to resist to the end to defend the city.)

• "không chống cự nổi": to be unable to resist/withstand.

  • Cánh cửa mục nát không chống cự nổi sức gió mạnh. (The rotten door couldn't withstand the strong wind.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chống lại (verb): To oppose, to fight against. (Often used interchangeably with "chống cự" but can be broader, including non-physical opposition.)
• Kháng cự (verb): To resist, to offer resistance. (Very similar in meaning, often used in military or formal contexts.)
• Sự chống cự (noun): Resistance, opposition.
  • Sự chống cự của họ đã làm chậm bước tiến của địch. (Their resistance slowed the enemy's advance.)

Synonyms

• Cưỡng lại: To resist, to oppose (often implies a struggle against an internal force like an emotion or urge).
• Đối kháng: To confront, to be in opposition (emphasizes a confrontational stance).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Chống cự lại: To resist against. (The addition of "lại" reinforces the action.)
  • Cô ấy cố gắng chống cự lại những lời dụ dỗ. (She tried to resist the temptations.)

Related Idioms

• "Chống cự như hổ đói": To resist like a starving tiger. (To resist with desperate, fierce intensity.)
• "Chân cứng đá mềm": Literally "hard feet, soft rock". (An idiom implying resilience and the ability to overcome hardship, related to the concept of steadfast resistance.)

1. To resist
   • kẻ gian bỏ chạy, không dám chống cự
     the thief took to flight, not daring to resist