Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Afraid of being whipped; fearful of corporal punishment: Describes a person, especially a child, who is scared of being physically punished, typically with a whip, cane, or similar object.
   • Cowardly, timid (in a specific context): Can imply a general sense of timidity or fearfulness, often stemming from or exemplified by a fear of physical punishment.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa trẻ đó rất nhát đòn. (That child is very afraid of being whipped.)
  • Nó nhát đòn nên không dám trốn học. (He is afraid of a beating, so he doesn't dare skip school.)
  • Đừng có nhát đòn như thế! (Don't be such a coward / so scared of a spanking!)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a comparative or descriptive sense to criticize someone's lack of courage or excessive compliance due to fear of punishment.
  • Tính nó nhát đòn lắm, bảo gì cũng nghe. (He's very timid/fearful of punishment; he obeys whatever you say.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhát (adj): Timid, cowardly, easily frightened.
  • Nó nhát lắm, không dám đi một mình. (He is very timid; he doesn't dare go alone.)
• Đòn (n): A blow, strike, or stroke; often refers to a hit with a whip, stick, or hand as punishment.
  • Nó sợ đòn của bố. (He is afraid of his father's beating.)

Synonyms

• Nhút nhát: Shy, timid.
• Sợ đòn: Afraid of a beating (a more literal phrase).
• Hèn nhát: Cowardly (stronger, more general term for cowardice).

Related Idioms

• Nhát như cáy: As timid as a crab (hiding in its hole); very timid.
  • Thằng bé nhát như cáy, thấy người lạ là chạy mất. (The boy is as timid as a crab; he runs away at the sight of a stranger.)
• Sợ như sợ tàu bay: To be extremely frightened (literally: to be as scared as of an airplane; an old idiom from wartime).
  • Nghe tiếng quát, nó sợ như sợ tàu bay. (Hearing the yell, he was terrified.)

1. be afraid of whipping