cầm cự

Thân thiện

Quân đội cầm cự tại một vị trí phòng thủ.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To hold out / to withstand: To resist an attack, pressure, or difficult situation for a period of time, especially when at a disadvantage. It implies a defensive and enduring struggle against a stronger force.
   • To hold one's ground: To maintain a position without being defeated or giving way, often in a context of conflict or competition.
   • To hang on / to endure: To persist or survive with difficulty in a challenging circumstance.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Lực lượng của chúng tôi đã cầm cự suốt ba ngày đêm. (Our forces held out for three days and nights.)
  • Công ty đang cố gắng cầm cự trước cuộc khủng hoảng tài chính. (The company is trying to withstand the financial crisis.)
  • Đội bóng yếu hơn chỉ có thể cầm cự trong hiệp một. (The weaker team could only hold their ground in the first half.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb is often used in military, sports, or business contexts to describe a tense period of resistance before a potential turning point or defeat.
• It can describe a person enduring a period of illness or hardship.
  • Bệnh nhân cầm cự được thêm một tuần. (The patient hung on for one more week.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chống cự (v): To resist, to fight back. This emphasizes active counter-action, while emphasizes enduring and holding a position.
• Cố thủ (v): To dig in, to entrench. This focuses on fortifying a defensive position.

Synonyms

• To hold out: To resist effectively.
• To withstand: To endure successfully.
• To endure: To suffer patiently.
• To persist: To continue steadfastly.

Related Idioms

• Cầm cự trong thế bị động: To hold out in a passive/defensive position. This phrase highlights the lack of initiative in the struggle.
  • Họ buộc phải cầm cự trong thế bị động. (They were forced to hold out in a passive position.)

Học thuật

verb

1. To contend
   • một mình cầm cự với cả một đơn vị địch
     to contend single-handed with a whole enemy unit