pháo đài
Definition
Noun: 1. Fortress, fort, stronghold: A military structure, often large and built with strong walls, designed to be defended against attacks. It is a place equipped with cannons and other weapons. 2. Bastion, bulwark: A metaphorical term for any person, institution, or place that serves as a strong, reliable center of support or defense for a particular idea, system, or group.
Usage Examples
- Literal meaning (Fortress):
- Pháo đài cổ đó đã đứng vững qua nhiều cuộc chiến. (That ancient fortress has withstood many wars.)
- Quân đội đã chiếm được pháo đài của địch. (The army captured the enemy's fort.)
- Figurative meaning (Bastion):
- Trường đại học này là một pháo đài của tri thức. (This university is a bastion of knowledge.)
- Anh ấy là pháo đài vững chắc của gia đình. (He is the family's strong bulwark.)
Advanced Usage
- "pháo đài bay": Literally "flying fortress," a term historically used for large, heavily armed bomber aircraft (e.g., the B-17 Flying Fortress).
- "pháo đài sống": Literally "living fortress," a poetic or rhetorical term for a person or group providing unwavering defense.
Variants and Related Words
- Đồn (n): A military post, garrison, or outpost. It is generally smaller than a .
- Thành trì (n): Citadel, fortress. Often used interchangeably with , but can also imply a walled city or the innermost, most fortified part of a castle.
- Lũy (n): Rampart, defensive wall or embankment.
Synonyms
- Thành lũy (n): Ramparts, fortifications (emphasizing the defensive walls).
- Căn cứ quân sự (n): Military base (a broader term).
- Trung tâm phòng thủ (n): Defense center.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Kiên cố như pháo đài: As solid/impregnable as a fortress. Used to describe something extremely strong and difficult to break or defeat.
- Hệ thống phòng thủ của đội bóng đó kiên cố như pháo đài. (That team's defensive system is as solid as a fortress.)
- Công thành (hay) phá thành: To attack a fortress/city. This is a classical phrase from military and literary contexts.
noun
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fortress, bunker
