Definition

1. Verb:
   • To win, to be victorious: To achieve victory in a competition, contest, or struggle.
   • To boil (sugar): To dissolve sugar in water by boiling, often to make syrup or candy.
   • To harness, to saddle: To put a saddle or harness on an animal, especially a horse.
   • To brake: To slow down or stop a vehicle using a brake. (This is a common vernacular usage, with "phanh" being the standard term).

Usage Examples

• To win:
  • Đội chủ nhà đã thắng với tỉ số 3-0. (The home team won with a score of 3-0.)
  • Cô ấy thắng trong cuộc thi hùng biện. (She won the speech contest.)
• To boil (sugar):
  • Bà tôi thắng đường để làm mứt dừa. (My grandmother boils sugar to make coconut candy.)
  • Muốn có nước hàng màu đẹp, phải biết cách thắng. (To get beautiful caramel color, you must know how to boil the sugar.)
• To harness:
  • Người nài ngựa đang thắng yên cương. (The jockey is saddling the horse.)
  • Thắng xe ngựa xong thì chúng ta có thể lên đường. (Once we harness the horses to the carriage, we can depart.)
• To brake:
  • Anh ấy thắng gấp để tránh con chó chạy qua đường. (He braked suddenly to avoid the dog running across the street.)

Advanced Usage

• "thắng lợi": To achieve victory/success (a compound word, often used in formal/political contexts).
  • Cuộc đấu tranh giành độc lập đã thắng lợi. (The struggle for independence was victorious.)
• "thắng cảnh": Scenic spot, beauty spot (a compound noun).
  • Vịnh Hạ Long là một thắng cảnh nổi tiếng. (Ha Long Bay is a famous scenic spot.)
• "thắng thế": To gain the upper hand.
  • Phe chủ chiến đang thắng thế trong cuộc tranh luận. (The hawkish faction is gaining the upper hand in the debate.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chiến thắng (n/v): Victory; to win a war/battle. (A common compound).
  • Chiến thắng Điện Biên Phủ lừng lẫy. (The glorious Dien Bien Phu victory.)
• Thắng lợi (n): Success, triumph. (See above).
• Thắng cảnh (n): Scenic spot. (See above).
• Thắng cố (n): A traditional meat stew of the H'Mong people.
• Thắng (n): Brake (as a noun, from the verb meaning). (Squeeze the brake.)

Synonyms

• To win: chiến thắng, đoạt giải, giành phần thắng.
• To boil (sugar): nấu đường, kẹo đường (refers to the process/product).
• To harness: đóng yên, buộc dây cương.
• To brake: phanh (standard term), hãm.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• thắng lại: To brake (and stop). (The bus braked to a stop at the station.)
• thắng tay: To brake by hand (e.g., on a bicycle). (On the downhill section, remember to brake by hand slowly.)

Related Idioms

• "Thắng làm vua, thua làm giặc": Literally "The winner becomes the king, the loser becomes the bandit." Meaning: History is written by the victors; the winner takes all.
• "Thắng không kiêu, bại không nản": "Victory without arrogance, defeat without discouragement." Meaning: Stay humble in victory and resilient in defeat.

verb

1. to win to boil to harness to brake