thú tội
Definition
- Verb:
- To confess one's crime/guilt: To formally and voluntarily admit to having committed a crime or wrongdoing, typically to an authority figure like the police or in a court of law.
- To confess: More generally, to admit or acknowledge a fault, sin, or mistake.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau nhiều giờ thẩm vấn, nghi phạm cuối cùng đã thú tội. (After many hours of interrogation, the suspect finally confessed to the crime.)
- Hắn thú tội với cảnh sát về vụ trộm. (He confessed to the police about the theft.)
- Cô ấy thú tội rằng mình đã nói dối. (She confessed that she had lied.)
Advanced Usage
- The act of "thú tội" often implies a sense of relief or moral duty after the confession. It is a key moment in legal and religious contexts.
- It can be used in a non-legal, personal context to mean admitting a serious personal fault to someone wronged.
Variants and Related Words
- Đầu thú (v): To turn oneself in, to surrender to the authorities. This emphasizes the physical act of surrendering, while "thú tội" emphasizes the verbal act of confessing.
- Kẻ giết người đã đến đồn cảnh sát để đầu thú. (The murderer went to the police station to turn himself in.)
Synonyms
- Confess: To admit or acknowledge a crime or fault.
- Plead guilty: A specific legal term for formally declaring guilt in court.
- Own up (to something): To admit responsibility for something, often less formal.
Related Idioms
- Thú tội trước vành móng ngựa: Literally "to confess before the horse-shoe shaped dock," meaning to confess in court before the judge.
- Bị cáo đã thú tội trước vành móng ngựa. (The defendant confessed in the dock.)