thu hẹp
Definition
Verb:
- To narrow: To make something become less wide or to reduce the physical distance between two sides.
- To reduce / To shrink: To make the scope, extent, size, or range of something smaller or more limited.
Verb (figurative):
- To restrict / To limit: To place constraints on activities, freedoms, or possibilities, making them less extensive.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con đường thu hẹp lại khi vào làng. (The road narrows when entering the village.)
- Công ty phải thu hẹp quy mô sản xuất. (The company had to shrink its production scale.)
- Chính sách mới thu hẹp quyền tự do ngôn luận. (The new policy restricts freedom of speech.)
Advanced Usage
- "thu hẹp khoảng cách": to narrow the gap.
- Chương trình này nhằm thu hẹp khoảng cách giàu nghèo. (This program aims to narrow the wealth gap.)
Variants and Related Words
Thu nhỏ (v): to make smaller in size, to scale down.
- Họ thu nhỏ bản đồ để in vào sách. (They reduced the map in size to print it in the book.)
Co lại (v): to contract, to shrink (often physically or involuntarily).
- Vải có thể co lại sau khi giặt. (The fabric may shrink after washing.)
Synonyms
- Narrow: to decrease in width.
- Reduce: to make smaller in amount, size, or degree.
- Restrict: to limit the movement, scope, or extent of.
Related Idioms
- Thu hẹp tầm mắt: to have a narrow perspective.
- Đừng thu hẹp tầm mắt, hãy nhìn ra thế giới. (Don't have a narrow perspective; look out at the world.)