mật thám

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Secret agent / spy: A person employed by a government or organization to secretly collect information about enemies, political groups, or other countries, often through covert means.
    • Detective / investigator (historical): Historically, especially during the French colonial period in Vietnam, an agent of the security service (Sûreté) tasked with surveillance, particularly of revolutionary activities or actions deemed harmful to the colonial administration.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • Hắn bị tình nghi là một tên mật thám. (He is suspected of being a secret agent.)
    • Mật thám Pháp đã theo dõi các nhà hoạt động yêu nước. (French secret agents surveilled patriotic activists.)
    • Tổ chức đó đã bị một mật thám thâm nhập. (That organization was infiltrated by a spy.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term "mật thám" often carries a strong negative connotation of treachery and deception, particularly in historical contexts related to colonialism and political suppression.
  • It can be used metaphorically to describe someone who snoops or pries excessively into private matters.
    • Đừng có làm mật thám trong chuyện của tôi. (Don't be a spy in my business.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Điệp viên (n): Spy, agent. Often used in a broader espionage context, including military or international spies.
  • Thám tử (n): Detective. Generally refers to a private or police investigator, usually without the strong political/connotative weight of .
Synonyms
  • Spy: A person who secretly collects and reports information.
  • Secret agent: An agent involved in espionage.
  • Informant: A person who provides information (though often not a formal agent).
  • Operative: A general term for a spy or agent.
Related Idioms
  • While there is no direct idiom with "mật thám", the concept is related to phrases about secrecy and betrayal:
    • Làm gián điệp: To act as a spy.
    • Con mắt thứ ba: Literally "the third eye," meaning an informer or a watchful spy within a group.