tàn sát

Definition

Verb:
- To massacre: To kill a large number of people, typically in a violent, brutal, and indiscriminate manner, often in a single event or over a short period.
- To slaughter: To kill people or animals in a cruel, violent, and extensive way, emphasizing the brutality and scale of the killing.
- To murder (en masse): To unlawfully and deliberately kill many defenseless people, often implying a lack of mercy or ethical restraint.

Usage Examples

Verb:
- Kẻ xâm lược đã tàn sát toàn bộ dân làng. (The invaders massacred the entire village.)
- Hành động tàn sát thường dân là tội ác chiến tranh. (The slaughter of civilians is a war crime.)
- Bọn phát xít tàn sát hàng triệu người vô tội. (The fascists murdered millions of innocent people.)

Advanced Usage

The verb "tàn sát" is almost exclusively used in contexts of extreme, large-scale, and morally reprehensible violence. It carries a strong connotation of cruelty, injustice, and the victims' defenselessness. It is commonly used in historical, political, and journalistic contexts to describe atrocities, war crimes, or genocide.

Variants and Related Words

Cuộc tàn sát (n): A massacre, a slaughter (refers to the event itself).
- Cuộc tàn sát đó đã bị lên án trên toàn thế giới. (That massacre was condemned worldwide.)
Hành động tàn sát (n): The act of massacring.
- Hành động tàn sát này không thể tha thứ. (This act of slaughter is unforgivable.)

Synonyms

Massacre: To kill many, often indiscriminately and brutally.
Slaughter: To kill violently and in large numbers.
Butcher: To kill cruelly or indiscriminately.
Annihilate: To destroy completely.

Related Idioms and Phrases

Tàn sát hàng loạt: To massacre en masse, to carry out mass slaughter.
- Chế độ độc tài đã tiến hành tàn sát hàng loạt người biểu tình. (The dictatorship carried out a mass slaughter of protesters.)
Tàn sát dã man: To massacre barbarically/savagely.
- Vụ tàn sát dã man đã gây ra cơn phẫn nộ. (The barbaric massacre caused outrage.)

verb

to massacre, to murder, to slaughter