Definition

1. Verb:
   • To compete with a bad intention; to engage in malicious rivalry: "ganh gổ" describes the act of competing or contending with someone, driven by jealousy, ill will, or a desire to undermine the other person, rather than healthy or fair competition.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy luôn ganh gổ với đồng nghiệp về mọi thứ. (She always competes maliciously with her colleague about everything.)
  • Đừng ganh gổ với người khác chỉ vì họ thành công hơn. (Don't engage in jealous rivalry with others just because they are more successful.)

Advanced Usage

• "ganh gổ lẫn nhau": to compete maliciously with each other.
  • Hai công ty đó liên tục ganh gổ lẫn nhau trên thị trường. (Those two companies are constantly engaged in cutthroat competition with each other in the market.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ganh đua (verb): to compete, to vie (can be neutral or negative, but less explicitly malicious than "ganh gổ").
  • Các vận động viên ganh đua giành huy chương vàng. (The athletes competed for the gold medal.)
• Ganh tị (verb): to be jealous, to envy.
  • Anh ta ganh tị với thành công của bạn mình. (He is jealous of his friend's success.)

Synonyms

• Cạnh tranh không lành mạnh: unhealthy competition.
• Đố kỵ (verb): to be envious, spiteful (focuses more on the jealous feeling that can lead to "ganh gổ").

Related Idioms

• "Ganh ăn, gổ nói": This idiom emphasizes petty, contentious behavior over trivial matters like food or words, highlighting a quarrelsome and jealous nature.
  • Họ là hai chị em nhưng suốt ngày ganh ăn, gổ nói. (They are two sisters but are always bickering and competing over every little thing.)

1. Compete with a bad intention