dọa già

dọa già

Một người đàn ông lớn tuổi đang bị dọa già bởi kẻ xấu.

Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To threaten, to intimidate: The act of trying to frighten or coerce someone, especially an older person, by making threats or using intimidating behavior. It often implies an attempt to exploit someone's age or perceived vulnerability through fear.
Usage
  • The verb dọa già is used to describe the specific action of threatening or trying to intimidate an elderly person.
  • It is typically used in a negative context, criticizing such behavior as unethical or cruel.
  • It can be used in various tenses by conjugating the auxiliary verb dọa (to threaten).
Usage Examples
  • Verb:
    • Không nên dọa già người cao tuổi. (One should not threaten the elderly.)
    • Hắn ta thường dọa già bà cụ để lấy tiền. (He often intimidates the old lady to get money.)
    • Hành vi dọa già là đáng lên án. (The act of intimidating the elderly is condemnable.)
Advanced Usage
  • "dọa già dọa non": A fixed phrase meaning to intimidate people of all ages, to threaten indiscriminately. It emphasizes the breadth of the threatening behavior.
    • Tên côn đồ ấy chuyên dọa già dọa non trong xóm. (That hoodlum specializes in threatening everyone, young and old, in the neighborhood.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Dọa (verb): To threaten, to scare. This is the root verb.
    • Đừng dọa tôi. (Don't scare me.)
  • Dọa nạt (verb): To intimidate, to bully (a more general term).
    • Nó thích dọa nạt các bạn nhỏ. (He likes to bully the younger kids.)
  • Đe dọa (verb): To threaten, to menace (a more formal synonym).
    • Hành động đó có tính chất đe dọa. (That action has a threatening nature.)
Synonyms
  • Hăm dọa: To menace, to threaten.
  • Bắt nạt: To bully (can imply physical or psychological intimidation, not specifically based on age).
Notes on Meaning
  • The word dọa già specifically highlights the target of the threat: an older person (già = old). This makes the act seem more reprehensible as it targets a potentially vulnerable group.
  • It is less common than the general terms dọa or dọa nạt. The phrase dọa già dọa non is a recognized idiom that is used more frequently than dọa già alone.