giẫy
Definition
- Verb:
- To weed; to clear (land) by removing weeds: The primary meaning refers to the agricultural action of removing weeds from a field or garden, typically using a tool like a hoe or shovel.
- To level or smooth (land): Refers to the action of making land flat or even, often as part of preparation for planting or construction, using tools like a shovel or hoe.
- To bribe; to corrupt with money: A figurative and colloquial meaning, describing the act of using money to illicitly influence someone or "smooth over" a problem, making it go away.
Usage Examples
Verb (To weed/clear land):
- Bà ngoại ra vườn giẫy cỏ. (Grandmother went to the garden to weed.)
- Người nông dân đang giẫy đất để chuẩn bị gieo hạt. (The farmer is clearing the land to prepare for sowing seeds.)
Verb (To level land):
- Họ phải giẫy mặt bằng trước khi xây nhà. (They had to level the ground before building the house.)
Verb (To bribe):
- Hắn tìm cách giẫy quan chức để được hợp đồng. (He tried to bribe the official to get the contract.)
- Trong xã hội cũ, nhiều việc phải giẫy mới xong. (In the old society, many things required a bribe to be completed.)
Advanced Usage
"giẫy cỏ": to weed (literally: to weed grass/weeds).
- Công việc chính của tôi sáng nay là giẫy cỏ trong vườn rau. (My main job this morning was weeding in the vegetable garden.)
"giẫy đất": to clear/level land.
- Máy cày giúp giẫy đất nhanh hơn làm bằng tay. (The plow helps to clear land faster than doing it by hand.)
Variants and Related Words
- Giẫy giụa (verb): This is a separate, distinct word meaning to struggle violently, to writhe (e.g., in pain or protest). It is NOT a variant of "giẫy" in the senses defined above.
- Con cá giẫy giụa trên thớt. (The fish writhed on the cutting board.)
Synonyms
- Làm cỏ / Nhổ cỏ (verb): to weed.
- San ủi / San bằng (verb): to level, to grade (land).
- Hối lộ / Đút lót (verb): to bribe. (These are more common and direct synonyms for the corrupt meaning.)
Related Phrases (Collocations)
Giẫy quan (historical/colloquial): to bribe an official/mandarin.
- Tệ nạn giẫy quan rất phổ biến thời phong kiến. (The practice of bribing officials was very common in feudal times.)
Tiền giẫy: bribe money.
- Hắn đưa một xấp tiền giẫy. (He handed over a wad of bribe money.)