Definition

1. Verb:
   • To scold and berate; to verbally abuse and reprimand someone angrily and harshly. This word describes the act of using strong, often offensive language to express anger, disapproval, or to criticize someone severely.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Bố mẹ không nên chửi mắng con cái trước mặt người khác. (Parents should not scold and berate their children in front of others.)
  • Anh ấy bị sếp chửi mắng vì đến muộn. (He was severely reprimanded by his boss for being late.)
  • Cô giáo chửi mắng học sinh vì không làm bài tập. (The teacher berated the student for not doing the homework.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị chửi mắng": to be scolded/berated. This passive structure is very common.

  • Đứa trẻ bị chửi mắng đã khóc. (The child who was scolded cried.)

• "chửi mắng thậm tệ" / "chửi mắng nặng lời": to scold and berate terribly; to use extremely harsh words.

  • Ông ấy chửi mắng thậm tệ tên trộm. (He gave the thief a terrible tongue-lashing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chửi (v): to curse, to swear at someone. This is a stronger, more vulgar component focusing on insults.
• Mắng (v): to scold, to reprimand. This component focuses on reprimanding, which can be less vulgar than "chửi".
• La mắng (v): to scold, to tell off. Similar to "mắng" but can imply raising one's voice.
• Quát mắng (v): to yell at, to scold loudly.

Synonyms

• La (v): to shout at, to tell off.
• Trách mắng (v): to reproach, to blame and scold (often with a tone of disappointment).
• Rầy la (v): to reprimand, to scold (a more formal or literary synonym).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a compound verb, "chửi mắng" itself functions as a unit. Related phrases often use its components. - Chửi bới (v): to curse and revile; to engage in verbal abuse. - Hai bên tranh cãi và bắt đầu chửi bới nhau. (The two sides argued and started cursing at each other.) - Mắng nhiếc (v): to scold and revile; similar in meaning to "chửi mắng". - Bà ta mắng nhiếc hàng xóm ầm ĩ. (She noisily berated her neighbor.)

Related Idioms

• Chửi như tát nước: to curse/scold incessantly and violently (lit: to scold like splashing water). This idiom emphasizes non-stop, torrential verbal abuse.
  • Bị phát hiện nói dối, cậu bé bị mẹ chửi như tát nước. (Caught lying, the boy was scolded non-stop by his mother.)
• Mắng vốn: (in business contexts) to complain to a supplier/debtor about poor quality or late payment. This is a specific, idiomatic use of "mắng".
  • Chủ cửa hàng đi mắng vốn nhà cung cấp vì hàng kém chất lượng. (The shop owner went to complain to the supplier about the poor quality goods.)

1. To abuse and scold