Definition

Verb: - To harass for bribes; to extort money through vexatious demands: The act of creating unnecessary trouble or complications to pressure someone into giving bribes or money. This term specifically describes corrupt behavior by officials or those in authority who abuse their power to extract illicit payments.

Usage

• This verb describes an action, typically by someone in a position of power, who intentionally creates difficulties or invokes trivial regulations to force others to pay bribes.
• It is used in contexts involving corruption, abuse of power, and bureaucratic harassment.
• Conjugation Note: As a verb, it can be conjugated according to tense and aspect (e.g., - is harassing, - harassed).

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Viên chức đó thường xuyên sách nhiễu các doanh nghiệp nhỏ. (That official frequently harasses small businesses for bribes.)
  • Người dân phản ánh tình trạng bị sách nhiễu khi làm thủ tục hành chính. (Citizens reported being harassed for bribes when completing administrative procedures.)
  • Luật pháp nghiêm cấm mọi hành vi sách nhiễu. (The law strictly prohibits all acts of extortionate harassment.)

Advanced Usage

• "sách nhiễu dân": to harass the people/citizens for bribes.
  • Một số cán bộ địa phương bị tố cáo sách nhiễu dân. (Some local cadres were accused of harassing the people for bribes.)
• This term carries a strong negative connotation and is often used in formal complaints, legal contexts, or journalistic reports on corruption.

Variants and Related Words

• Sách nhiễu is a compound word formed from (to oppress, to coerce) and (to harass, to disturb). It is used as a single lexical unit.
• Hành vi sách nhiễu (noun phrase): The act of harassing for bribes.
  • Hành vi sách nhiễu bị xử lý nghiêm minh. (Acts of extortionate harassment are severely punished.)
• Nạn sách nhiễu (noun phrase): The problem/scourge of extortionate harassment.
  • Chính phủ quyết tâm bài trừ nạn sách nhiễu. (The government is determined to eradicate the scourge of extortionate harassment.)

Synonyms

• Hạch sách (verb): To make unreasonable demands, to hassle (often for personal gain, but may not always imply a bribe).
• Ép buộc (verb): To coerce, to compel (more general, not specific to bribery).
• Bức hiếp (verb): To oppress, to extort (literary, strong connotation of oppression).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• While sách nhiễu itself is not typically part of a wider idiom, it is central to phrases describing corrupt practices, such as (corruption and extortionate harassment).

verb

1. to harass for bribes