Definition

1. Noun:
   • Outpost: A military post stationed at a distance from the main force or camp, established to guard against surprise attacks and observe enemy movements.
   • Frontier station: A remote settlement or position that represents the furthest extent of control or influence in a frontier region.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Quân đội thiết lập một tiền đồn trên ngọn đồi. (The army established an outpost on the hill.)
  • Tiền đồn ấy là điểm giao thương cuối cùng của đế chế. (That frontier station was the empire's last trading point.)

Advanced Usage

• Used metaphorically to describe a person, group, or thing positioned at the forefront of an activity or field.
  • Phòng thí nghiệm này là tiền đồn của khoa học công nghệ. (This laboratory is an outpost of technological science.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đồn bốt (n): garrison, fort. A more general term for a military post or station.
• Trạm tiền tiêu (n): forward observation post. A specific type of outpost for surveillance.

Synonyms

• Outpost: A detached military post.
• Forward post: A position well ahead of the main body.
• Frontier post: A station on a border or frontier.

Related Idioms

• Lính tiền đồn: Outpost soldier. Can refer literally to a soldier stationed at an outpost or metaphorically to someone in a vulnerable, pioneering position.
  • Anh ấy như một lính tiền đồn trong ngành nghiên cứu mới. (He is like an outpost soldier in the new field of research.)