Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To pave the way / to open the way: To create the conditions that make something new possible or easier to achieve. It involves removing obstacles or being the first to do something, allowing others to follow.
   • To initiate / to pioneer: To be the first to start or develop a particular activity, field of study, or path, acting as a trailblazer.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Phát minh đó mở đường cho nhân loại đi vào vũ trụ. (That invention paved the way for mankind to travel into space.)
  • Những nhà nghiên cứu này đã mở đường cho ngành y học hiện đại. (These researchers pioneered modern medicine.)
  • Hiệp định này mở đường cho hợp tác kinh tế sâu rộng hơn. (This agreement opens the way for deeper economic cooperation.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a significant, foundational contribution that enables future progress. It is commonly used in historical, scientific, technological, and social contexts.
• It can be used in both literal and figurative senses, though the figurative sense (creating new opportunities) is more frequent.

Variants and Related Words

• Người mở đường (n): A pioneer, a trailblazer.
  • Ông ấy được tôn vinh như một người mở đường trong nghệ thuật. (He is honored as a pioneer in the arts.)

Synonyms

• Pioneer: To be among the first to explore or develop a new area.
• Initiate: To cause a process or action to begin.
• Facilitate: To make an action or process easier.

Related Idioms

• While "mở đường" itself is a set phrase, it is conceptually related to the idiom "Vạch lối đi trước" (to chart a path ahead), which carries a similar meaning of pioneering.

1. Initiate, pave the way for
   • Phát minh đó mở đường cho nhân loại đi vào vũ trụ
     This invertion initiated man's travelling ito space