Definition

1. Verb:
   • To interrogate persistently; to question insistently: The act of asking someone questions repeatedly and with pressure, often to obtain information, a confession, or a clear answer that the person is reluctant to give.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cảnh sát đã gặng hỏi nghi phạm suốt nhiều giờ. (The police interrogated the suspect persistently for many hours.)
  • Mẹ tôi gặng hỏi tôi về nơi tôi đã đi tối qua. (My mother questioned me insistently about where I went last night.)
  • Đừng gặng hỏi anh ấy nữa, anh ấy không muốn nói đâu. (Don't press him with questions anymore; he doesn't want to talk.)

Advanced Usage

• "gặng hỏi cho ra lẽ": to interrogate persistently until getting to the bottom of the matter/to get a satisfactory explanation.
  • Người cha quyết tâm gặng hỏi cho ra lẽ đứa con về chuyện tiền bạc. (The father was determined to question his child insistently until he got to the truth about the money matter.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gặng (verb): This is the root/shortened form of "gặng hỏi" with the same core meaning of pressing or insisting, often used in a similar context.
  • Anh ấy cứ gặng mãi về chuyện cũ. (He kept pressing about the old story.)

Synonyms

• Tra hỏi: to interrogate, to question (often in a formal or investigative context).
• Chất vấn: to question, to interrogate (can be used in formal debates or inquiries).
• Hỏi dồn: to fire questions, to ask in rapid succession.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Nài nỉ, ép buộc: to plead, to coerce. While not a direct phrasal verb of "gặng hỏi," these verbs often accompany or describe a similar context of applying pressure.
  • Cô ấy vừa gặng hỏi vừa nài nỉ tôi kể chi tiết. (She both questioned me insistently and pleaded with me to tell the details.)

Related Idioms

• Vặn vẹo, bắt bẻ: to nitpick, to find fault. This idiom describes a similar attitude of persistent, critical questioning, though often more about finding flaws than extracting information.
  • Ông giám khảo cứ vặn vẹo từng chi tiết nhỏ trong bài thuyết trình. (The judge kept nitpicking every small detail in the presentation.)

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