lôi kéo
Definition
- Verb:
- To pull; to drag: To exert force on something or someone to bring them towards oneself or in a particular direction, often with effort or against resistance.
- To entice; to lure; to recruit: To attract or persuade someone, often through active effort or appeal, to join a group, cause, or activity. This meaning often carries a connotation of drawing someone into something, which can be neutral, positive, or negative.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nó dùng hết sức để lôi kéo cái hòm nặng vào trong nhà. (He used all his strength to drag the heavy chest into the house.)
- Công ty đó dùng nhiều quảng cáo hấp dẫn để lôi kéo nhân tài. (That company uses many attractive advertisements to recruit talent.)
- Bọn tội phạm cố gắng lôi kéo thanh niên vào các hoạt động phi pháp. (The criminals tried to lure young people into illegal activities.)
Advanced Usage
- The verb is often used in contexts involving influence, competition, or conflict, where one party actively seeks to gain the support or participation of others.
- Cuộc chiến tranh lạnh là một cuộc cạnh tranh để lôi kéo các nước thế giới thứ ba. (The Cold War was a competition to entice third-world countries.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lôi (v): to drag, to pull forcefully. This is the root verb emphasizing the physical action.
- Đừng lôi cái ghế trên sàn gỗ. (Don't drag the chair on the wooden floor.)
- Kéo (v): to pull, to tow. This is the other root verb, also meaning to pull.
- Xe cứu hộ đang kéo chiếc ô tô bị hỏng. (The tow truck is pulling the broken-down car.)
Synonyms
- Drag: to pull something along with force.
- Entice: to attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage.
- Recruit: to enlist someone for a service or membership.
- Draw in: to involve or attract someone into a situation.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Lôi kéo quần chúng: to mobilize the masses; to draw in the public.
- Chính sách đó nhằm mục đích lôi kéo quần chúng ủng hộ. (That policy aims to mobilize public support.)
- While not a fixed idiom, the word is frequently used in the phrase "lôi kéo người khác" (to entice/pull in others), which is a common collocation.