Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Rugged and inaccessible: Describes terrain, a path, or a location that is extremely difficult to travel through or reach due to natural obstacles like steep slopes, cliffs, or dense vegetation.
   • Perilous and tricky: Describes a situation, problem, or challenge that is particularly dangerous, complex, or fraught with hidden difficulties.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đường lên đỉnh núi rất hiểm hóc. (The path to the mountain peak is very rugged and inaccessible.)
  • Địa hình hiểm hóc khiến việc cứu hộ gặp nhiều khó khăn. (The perilous terrain made the rescue operation very difficult.)
  • Đây là một câu hỏi hiểm hóc trong bài thi. (This is a tricky question in the exam.)

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively to describe abstract challenges.
  • Cuộc đàm phán bước vào giai đoạn hiểm hóc. (The negotiations entered a perilous phase.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hiểm trở (adj): Synonymous, emphasizing ruggedness and difficulty of passage.

  • Vùng núi hiểm trở. (A rugged mountainous region.)

• Nguy hiểm (adj): Dangerous. While overlapping, "nguy hiểm" is a broader term for danger, not specifically describing terrain inaccessibility.

Synonyms

• Treacherous: (of ground, water, conditions) dangerously unstable or unpredictable.
• Inhospitable: (of an environment) harsh and difficult to live in or travel through.
• Perilous: Full of danger or risk.

Related Idioms

• Chốn hiểm hóc: A perilous place.
  • Phải vượt qua chốn hiểm hóc mới tới được thung lũng. (One must pass through a perilous place to reach the valley.)

1. ugged and inaccessible terrain