Definition

1. Verb phrase (động từ): - To be beaten, to be whipped, to be caned: To receive physical punishment, typically with a rod, whip, or cane. It implies being on the receiving end of a beating as a form of discipline or penalty. - To suffer a blow, to take a hit (figurative): Used metaphorically to mean suffering a significant setback, loss, or harsh consequence.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (bị đánh đòn):
  • Đứa trẻ hư đã phải đòn. (The naughty child got the cane.)
  • Học sinh ngày xưa thường phải đòn nếu không thuộc bài. (Students in the old days often were whipped if they didn't know their lessons.)
• Figurative meaning (chịu hậu quả/thiệt hại):
  • Công ty phải đòn nặng trong cuộc khủng hoảng kinh tế. (The company took a heavy hit during the economic crisis.)
  • Đội bóng đó phải đòn sau trận thua thảm hại. (That football team suffered a blow after the disastrous loss.)

Advanced Usage

• "phải đòn roi": A slightly more emphatic variant, explicitly mentioning the whip/rod.
  • Nó đã phải đòn roi vì tội nói dối. (He was given the whip for the crime of lying.)
• "phải đòn thù": To suffer revenge or retaliatory punishment.
  • Kẻ phản bội cuối cùng cũng phải đòn thù. (The traitor finally faced vengeful punishment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bị đòn (verb phrase): A very close synonym, meaning "to be hit/beaten."
• Chịu đòn (verb phrase): To endure or submit to a beating; can also mean to face consequences.
• Trận đòn (noun): A beating, a thrashing.
  • Nó nhớ mãi trận đòn năm xưa. (He still remembers that beating from years ago.)

Synonyms

• Bị đánh: To be hit/beaten.
• Bị trừng phạt: To be punished (broader, not always physical).
• Lãnh đủ: To get one's due, to face severe consequences (colloquial).

Related Idioms

• "Ăn đòn": (Literally: to eat blows) A very common colloquial synonym for "phải đòn."
  • Mày mà không nghe lời là sẽ ăn đòn đấy. (If you don't listen, you'll get a beating.)
• "Chịu trận": To endure a situation, often a difficult or losing one (like a battle).
  • Đối thủ quá mạnh, đội ta đành chịu trận. (The opponent was too strong, our team had to take the beating.)

1. Get (be given) the cane, be whipped