Definition

1. Noun:
   • Righteous soldiers, volunteer militia: "nghĩa binh" refers to soldiers or militia who voluntarily fight for a righteous cause, justice, or their homeland, often in a spontaneous or non-regular military force.
   • Insurgents for a just cause: In a historical or political context, it can denote insurgents or partisans fighting against oppression or foreign occupation for a just cause.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Những nghĩa binh đã chiến đấu dũng cảm để bảo vệ làng. (The righteous soldiers fought bravely to protect the village.)
  • Phong trào khởi nghĩa được xây dựng dựa trên lực lượng nghĩa binh địa phương. (The uprising movement was built upon the force of local volunteer militia.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is often used in Vietnamese history to refer to volunteer forces that resisted foreign invaders (e.g., against Chinese or French colonial rule) or fought corrupt dynasties.
  • Nghĩa binh Tây Sơn đã lật đổ chúa Nguyễn ở Đàng Trong. (The Tây Sơn righteous soldiers overthrew the Nguyễn lords in the South.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghĩa quân (noun): A synonym, also meaning righteous army or volunteer soldiers. The two terms are often used interchangeably.
  • Lực lượng nghĩa quân ngày càng đông. (The forces of the righteous army grew larger.)
• Dân binh (noun): Militia, often local and part-time.
• Du kích (noun): Guerrilla fighters.

Synonyms

• Volunteer soldiers: Soldiers who serve voluntarily without conscription.
• Partisans: Members of an armed group formed to fight secretly against an occupying force.
• Insurgents: People who rise in active revolt against authority, especially for a political cause.

Related Phrases

• Tuyển mộ nghĩa binh: To recruit volunteer soldiers.
  • Họ kêu gọi tuyển mộ nghĩa binh từ các làng lân cận. (They called for recruiting volunteer soldiers from neighboring villages.)
• Lực lượng nghĩa binh: The force of righteous soldiers.
  • Lực lượng nghĩa binh là xương sống của cuộc khởi nghĩa. (The force of righteous soldiers was the backbone of the uprising.)

1. như nghĩa quân