hạ buồm
Definition
- Verb (Nautical): To lower the sails of a boat or ship. This is a specific action in sailing, often done to reduce speed, prepare for anchoring, or because the wind has stopped.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Thuyền trưởng ra lệnh hạ buồm khi cơn bão đến gần. (The captain ordered to lower the sails as the storm approached.)
- Khi gió lặng, các thủy thủ phải hạ buồm và chèo. (When the wind died down, the sailors had to lower the sails and row.)
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Can be used metaphorically to mean to give up, to surrender, or to cease one's efforts, especially after a struggle or competition.
- Sau nhiều lần thất bại, cuối cùng anh ta cũng phải hạ buồm. (After many failures, he finally had to admit defeat.)
Variants and Related Words
- Buồm (n): Sail.
- Căng buồm (v): To set sail; to hoist the sails.
- Cuốn buồm (v): To furl the sails.
Synonyms
- Hạ cờ (v): To lower a flag (can share the figurative meaning of surrender).
- Đầu hàng (v): To surrender (general term).
Related Idioms
- Hạ buồm xuôi gió: Literally "to lower the sails and go with the wind," meaning to go with the flow, to adapt to circumstances, or sometimes to give up easily.
- Anh ấy không phải là người dễ hạ buồm xuôi gió. (He is not the type to give up easily / go with the flow without a fight.)