qua giáp

Definition

1. Noun:

   • Weapons and armor: A classical compound term referring specifically to offensive weapons (like spears) and defensive armor.
   • Military affairs / warfare: By extension, it refers to the tools and matters of war or soldiering.

2. Noun (figurative):

   • Coercion into an unsuitable role: The phrase is often used idiomatically to describe the act of forcing someone (typically a civilian or scholar-official) into a military or combative role for which they are fundamentally unsuited.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Binh sĩ được trang bị đầy đủ qua giáp. (The soldiers were fully equipped with weapons and armor.)
  • Ông ấy là một học giả, việc bắt ông ra trận là ép qua giáp. (He is a scholar; forcing him onto the battlefield is making a square peg fit a round hole.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly encountered in the fixed idiomatic expression "ép qua giáp" or "bắt ép qua giáp", which criticizes the inappropriate assignment of a person to a task that mismatches their skills or nature, akin to "forcing a square peg into a round hole."

Variants and Related Words

• Binh giáp (n): Armor and weapons; military equipment.
• Khí giới (n): Weapons, arms.
• Giáp trụ (n): Armor, protective gear.

Synonyms

• Arms and armor: Weapons and protective gear used in battle.
• Martial equipment: Tools and gear for warfare.

Related Idioms

• Ép qua giáp / Bắt ép qua giáp: To force someone into a role or job they are not suited for, especially forcing a civilian or intellectual to perform military duties.
  • Giao việc kế toán cho người không biết gì về số là ép qua giáp. (Assigning accounting work to someone who knows nothing about numbers is forcing a square peg into a round hole.)