Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pioneer, to open up (a new area, especially a mountainous or difficult region): "khai sơn" describes the act of developing or making accessible a previously undeveloped, often rugged, area, such as a mountain or highland region. It implies initiating development in a challenging environment.
   • To found, to establish (something difficult and new): The term carries a strong connotation of being the first to undertake a difficult task, laying the groundwork for future development or construction.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông cha ta đã khai sơn lập địa để xây dựng làng xóm. (Our ancestors pioneered and established the land to build villages.)
  • Dự án này nhằm khai sơn vùng cao, phát triển kinh tế địa phương. (This project aims to open up the highland region and develop the local economy.)
  • Việc khai sơn con đường mới qua dãy núi là một kỳ công. (Opening up the new road through the mountain range was a great feat.)

Advanced Usage

• "khai sơn phá thạch": This is a fixed, idiomatic four-word phrase meaning "to break new ground" or "to pioneer with great effort." It emphasizes the immense difficulty and foundational nature of the work, often used metaphorically for starting a significant new endeavor.
  • Sự nghiệp giáo dục của ông ấy thực sự là một công cuộc khai sơn phá thạch. (His educational career was truly a groundbreaking endeavor.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khai khẩn (verb): To reclaim (land), to bring under cultivation. Focuses more on agricultural development.
• Khai phá (verb): To explore and develop, to pioneer. A more general synonym often used for exploiting resources or new territories.
• Mở mang (verb): To expand, to develop. Has a broader sense of development, not specifically tied to difficult terrain.

Synonyms

• Mở đường: To pave the way, to open a path.
• Tiên phong: To pioneer, to be a vanguard.
• Sáng lập: To found, to establish (often used for institutions).

Related Idioms

• "Khai sơn phá thạch": As mentioned above, this is the primary and most common idiom containing "khai sơn." It is used to describe founding or initiating a difficult and pioneering work.
  • Họ đã khai sơn phá thạch để xây dựng ngôi trường đầu tiên trong vùng. (They broke new ground to build the first school in the region.)

1. To develop, to utilize the highland or the difficult region