lạm

Ông ấy lạm quyền khi ký giấy tờ thay cho cấp trên.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To encroach upon; to exceed proper limits: To overstep one's boundaries or authority, to use something beyond what is permitted or reasonable.
   • To misuse; to abuse: To use something improperly or excessively, often a position, power, or resource.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta bị khiển trách vì đã lạm quyền. (He was reprimanded for abusing his authority.)
  • Không nên lạm dụng lòng tốt của người khác. (One should not take advantage of others' kindness.)
  • Khoản chi đó đã lạm vào ngân sách dự phòng. (That expense encroached upon the reserve budget.)

Advanced Usage

• "lạm bàn": to speak out of turn; to offer an opinion presumptuously.
  • Xin phép được lạm bàn đôi điều về vấn đề này. (Allow me to presumptuously offer a few words on this matter.)
• "lạm thu": to collect taxes excessively or unlawfully.
  • Tình trạng lạm thu ở địa phương đã bị phát hiện. (The situation of excessive tax collection in the locality was discovered.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạm dụng (verb): to abuse; to misuse. This is a very common compound.
  • lạm dụng quyền lực (to abuse power)
  • lạm dụng chất kích thích (to abuse stimulants)
• Lạm phát (noun): inflation (economic). This is a fixed economic term.
  • Kiểm soát lạm phát là ưu tiên hàng đầu. (Controlling inflation is the top priority.)
• Lạm quyền (verb): to abuse one's power/authority.
• Lạm chi (verb): to overspend; to spend excessively (often from a budget).

Synonyms

• Xâm phạm: to infringe upon, to violate.
• Lấn: to encroach, to intrude.
• Thái quá: excessive, over the top (describes the state, not the action).

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of "lạm" revolves around the concept of exceeding a permitted or normal limit. It almost always carries a negative connotation of impropriety, excess, or abuse.
• It is rarely used alone in modern Vietnamese. Its primary function is as a bound morpheme to form compound words (e.g., lạm dụng, lạm phát, lạm quyền), where it contributes the meaning of "excessive" or "improper."
• The examples in the reference dictionaries ("Tiêu lạm" - spending that encroaches on capital, "Từ dùng lạm" - a word used improperly) illustrate this core idea of transgression beyond a set boundary.