cướp bóc
Definition
- Verb:
- To plunder: To steal goods from a place or person, typically using force and especially during a war, riot, or other violent event.
- To loot: To carry off valuable items by force, often from a scene of chaos such as a natural disaster or a conquered city.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Binh lính đã cướp bóc các ngôi làng trên đường hành quân. (The soldiers plundered the villages along their march.)
- Một nhóm người đã cướp bóc cửa hàng trong cuộc biểu tình. (A group of people looted the store during the protest.)
- Kẻ xâm lược nổi tiếng với việc cướp bóc của cải. (The invaders were notorious for looting wealth.)
Advanced Usage
- The verb "cướp bóc" strongly implies a systematic, violent, or large-scale act of theft, often involving multiple perpetrators and a sense of lawlessness. It is more severe than simple theft ("ăn cắp").
Variants and Related Words
Cướp (v): to rob, to seize by force. This is a broader term for robbery or hijacking.
- Tên cướp đã cướp ví của cô ấy. (The robber stole her purse.)
Bóc lột (v): to exploit. This is a different word meaning to exploit labor or people, not to steal physical goods.
Synonyms
- Plunder: To rob of goods by force, especially in wartime.
- Loot: To steal goods, typically during a riot or military action.
- Pillage: To rob violently, especially in war (synonymous with plunder).
- Ransack: To search a place thoroughly, causing disorder, often to steal.
Related Idioms
- While "cướp bóc" itself is not commonly part of a fixed idiom, the concept is central to phrases describing lawlessness.
- Cướp bóc như thời loạn. (To loot as in times of chaos.) – This describes a situation of rampant, uncontrolled theft.