Definition

1. Noun (Historical):
   • Gendarme: A member of a military force charged with police duties, especially in France and some other European countries. The term is historically used in Vietnamese to refer to French colonial gendarmes.
   • International Policeman: A critical term for a powerful nation or alliance that unjustly intervenes in the internal affairs of other countries, claiming to act as a global police force.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trạm sen đầm được đặt ở ngã tư. (The gendarme station was placed at the crossroads.)
  • Một số cường quốc tự phong mình là "sen đầm quốc tế". (Some superpowers appoint themselves as the "international policeman.")

Advanced Usage

• The term "sen đầm" is an archaic borrowing from the French word . Its usage today is almost exclusively historical or figurative.
• "Sen đầm quốc tế" is a fixed political phrase used in critical discourse to describe hegemonic interventionism.

Variants and Related Words

• Hiến binh (n): Another, more formal term for gendarme or military police.
• Cảnh sát (n): The modern, general term for police.
• Cảnh sát dã chiến (n): Riot police; a closer modern equivalent in function to historical gendarmes.

Synonyms

• Gendarme
• Military Policeman
• International Policeman (figurative, critical)

Related Idioms

• Làm sen đầm / Lên mặt sen đầm: To act like a policeman; to boss others around or interfere officiously.
  • Anh ta không có quyền lên mặt sen đầm với chúng tôi. (He has no right to act like a policeman with us.)

1. Gendarme