Definition

1. Verb:
   • To crowd out, to push aside, to squeeze out: The act of using force, pressure, or an advantageous position to make others yield, lose their position, or be excluded, often in a competitive or physical context. It implies a degree of aggression or unfair advantage.

Usage

• This verb describes an action where one entity exerts pressure on another, causing displacement or disadvantage.
• It is often used in contexts involving competition, physical space, or market dynamics.
• The subject is typically the entity applying the pressure, and the object is the entity being pressured or displaced.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Công ty lớn thường chèn lấn các doanh nghiệp nhỏ hơn. (Large companies often crowd out smaller businesses.)
  • Đám đông chèn lấn nhau để vào cửa. (The crowd pushed and shoved each other to get through the door.)
  • Anh ta luôn tìm cách chèn lấn đồng nghiệp để được thăng chức. (He always tries to push aside his colleagues to get a promotion.)

Advanced Usage

• The word chèn lấn is considered somewhat rare and is often synonymous with chèn ép (to oppress, to bully). The nuance can emphasize the physical or spatial aspect of "pushing" more than chèn ép, which can be more abstract.
  • Chính sách mới có nguy cơ chèn lấn quyền lợi của người dân. (The new policy risks squeezing out the rights of the people.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chèn ép (verb): To oppress, to bully, to put pressure on. This is the more common synonym.
  • Bọn côn đồ thường chèn ép người yếu thế. (Bullies often oppress the vulnerable.)
• Lấn át (verb): To overwhelm, to dominate (often in terms of sound, presence, or influence).
  • Tiếng ồn lấn át mọi cuộc nói chuyện. (The noise overwhelmed all conversation.)
• Lấn chiếm (verb): To encroach upon, to usurp (often land or territory).
  • Cây cỏ dại lấn chiếm khu vườn. (Weeds encroached upon the garden.)

Synonyms

• Áp đảo: To overpower, to dominate.
• Lấn lướt: To override, to surpass (and thereby push aside).
• Đàn áp: To suppress, to repress (stronger, often political).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Chèn lấn không gian: To encroach on space.
  • Xe đạp để chèn lấn lối đi của người đi bộ. (Bicycles parked encroaching on the pedestrians' path.)

Related Idioms

• While chèn lấn itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the concept is related to the idiom:
  • Cá lớn nuốt cá bé: Literally "Big fish eat small fish," meaning the strong dominate the weak. This reflects the dynamic described by chèn lấn.
  • Trong thị trường tự do, luật cá lớn nuốt cá bé thường thấy. (In a free market, the law of the big fish eating the small fish is often seen.)

1. như chèn ép