tiếp tay

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To assist / to lend a hand (in wrongdoing): The primary meaning of "tiếp tay" is to actively help or support someone in carrying out a bad, illegal, or immoral action. It implies complicity and collaboration in a negative deed.
   • To abet / to be an accomplice: It carries a strong connotation of enabling or facilitating a crime or unethical activity.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hắn tiếp tay cho bọn buôn lậu. (He assisted the smugglers.)
  • Không nên tiếp tay cho hành vi gian lận. (One should not abet cheating behavior.)
  • Một số quan chức đã tiếp tay cho nhóm tội phạm. (Some officials lent a hand to the criminal group.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in contexts involving negative, harmful, or illegal actions. It is not used for neutral or positive assistance.
• It often describes a secondary but crucial role that makes the primary wrongdoing possible or easier to commit.

Variants and Related Words

• Đồng lõa (v/n): to be an accomplice; accomplice. This term is more directly legal and means complicity.
  • Họ bị buộc tội đồng lõa trong vụ cướp. (They were charged with being accomplices in the robbery.)

Synonyms

• To abet: To encourage or assist someone in committing a crime.
• To aid and abet: A legal phrase for helping someone commit a crime.
• To collude with: To secretly cooperate for a deceitful purpose.
• To facilitate (in a negative context): To make an action easier, especially a wrong one.

Related Idioms

• Tiếp tay cho cái ác: To lend a hand to evil.
  • Thờ ơ trước nạn bạo hành cũng là một cách tiếp tay cho cái ác. (Being indifferent to abuse is also a way of lending a hand to evil.)