Definition

1. Verb:
   • To be determined to win at all costs (at gambling): "sát phạt" describes the intense, often ruthless, competitive spirit where players are focused solely on defeating their opponents and winning money, regardless of the stakes or consequences. It implies a fierce, no-holds-barred attitude in a gambling context.
   • To gamble with a bitter, win-at-all-costs mentality: It conveys not just playing, but playing with a contentious, cutthroat, and sometimes resentful determination to come out on top, often leading to significant financial wins or losses.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Trên bàn bài, họ chơi rất sát phạt. (At the card table, they gamble with a fierce, win-at-all-costs mentality.)
  • Không khí sòng bạc lúc nào cũng sát phạt và căng thẳng. (The atmosphere in the casino is always cutthroat and tense.)
  • Anh ta nổi tiếng là tay chơi sát phạt, không bao giờ chịu lùi bước. (He is known as a ruthless gambler who never backs down.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe a fiercely competitive attitude beyond literal gambling: While primarily for gambling, it can metaphorically describe any intensely competitive situation where the goal is to crush the opponent.
  • Cuộc đua vào các trường đại học top đầu ngày càng trở nên sát phạt. (The race to get into top universities is becoming increasingly cutthroat.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cờ bạc (n): Gambling.
  • Anh ta sa vào cờ bạc. (He fell into gambling.)
• Cá cược (n/v): Betting, to bet.
  • Cá cược bóng đá là bất hợp pháp ở một số nơi. (Football betting is illegal in some places.)
• Thắng thua (n): Winning and losing, outcome.
  • Trò chơi này không quan trọng thắng thua. (This game isn't about winning or losing.)

Synonyms

• Cay cú (adj/adv): Bitter, resentful (often after a loss); can describe the emotional state within "sát phạt."
• Ác liệt (adj): Fierce, intense. Can describe the competitive nature.
• Tàn khốc (adj): Brutal, merciless. A stronger term for the ruthless aspect.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "sát phạt" is typically used as a fixed phrase. Related concepts are expressed with other verbs.) - Chơi đến cùng: To play to the end, to see it through. - Hai bên quyết tâm chơi đến cùng. (Both sides are determined to see it through to the end.) - Ăn thua: To win or lose, to have stakes involved. - Ván bài này ăn thua rất lớn. (There's a lot at stake in this card game.)

Related Idioms

• Một mất một còn: A life-or-death struggle, do-or-die. This idiom captures the high-stakes, all-or-nothing feeling of "sát phạt."
  • Trận chiến này là một mất một còn. (This battle is a do-or-die struggle.)
• Được ăn cả, ngã về không: "Win all or lose everything." This idiom perfectly reflects the gambling mentality inherent in "sát phạt."
  • Lối chơi của hắn là được ăn cả, ngã về không. (His playing style is all or nothing.)

1. Be bent on winning at any costs (at a gambling table)