Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Violent in administering beatings; prone to using corporal punishment: Describes a person, especially in a position of authority (like a teacher or guard), who is harsh and frequently resorts to physical punishment, such as hitting or caning.
   • Severe in meting out physical discipline: Characterizes someone who is known for the harshness and frequency of their physical chastisements.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông thầy ngày xưa ấy nổi tiếng là dữ đòn. (That teacher from the old days was famous for being violent with the cane.)
  • Người cai ngục dữ đòn bị phản đối. (The guard who was prone to beatings was protested.)
  • Cha nó ngày trước hơi dữ đòn. (His father in the past was somewhat severe with physical punishment.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is historically and culturally specific, often evoking the strict, punitive disciplinary methods common in traditional educational or penal systems. It implies a sustained pattern of behavior, not a single incident.

Variants and Related Words

• Hành hạ (v): to mistreat, to torment (a broader term for abuse).
• Bạo hành (v/n): to commit violence/violence (a more general modern term for abuse, including physical).
• Đánh đập (v): to beat, to hit (describes the action itself).

Synonyms

• Cruel (specifically in punishment)
• Brutal (in administering discipline)
• Harsh (in a physically punitive way)
• Severe

Related Idioms

• While "dữ đòn" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, the concept relates to proverbs about harsh discipline.
  • Thương cho roi cho vọt: (Spare the rod, spoil the child.) This proverb reflects the cultural context that sometimes accepted, though "dữ đòn" exceeds its reasonable application.

1. Violent (inclined to beat up pupils, prisoners...)
   • Thầy đồ dữ đòn
     A violent school-master (of former times, inclined to beat up his pupils