Definition

1. Verb:
   • To peel off; to flake off: To come off in thin, often irregular pieces or layers from a surface, typically due to age, damage, or a natural process. This applies to materials like paint, skin, or bark.
   • To detach; to come unstuck: To separate or become loose from a surface it was attached to, such as a sticker, label, or layer of material.
   • (Archaic/Dialectal) To seize; to nab: To catch or apprehend someone, often by force or authority. This usage is less common in modern standard Vietnamese.
   • (Archaic/Dialectal) To click or snap: To make a sharp sound by flicking a finger or clicking the tongue.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to peel/flake):
  • Lớp sơn trên tường đang bắt đầu tróc. (The paint on the wall is starting to peel off.)
  • Da tôi bị tróc sau khi bị cháy nắng. (My skin is flaking after getting sunburned.)
• Verb (to detach):
  • Nhãn dán trên chai nước đã tróc ra. (The label on the water bottle has come unstuck.)
• Verb (to seize - archaic):
  • Quan lại đi tróc những người trốn thuế. (The officials went to nab the tax evaders.)

Advanced Usage

• "tróc nã": to hunt for and arrest; to be wanted (by authorities). This is a formal or legal term.
  • Cảnh sát đã ra lệnh tróc nã tên tội phạm. (The police have issued an arrest warrant for the criminal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bong tróc (v): to peel and flake off extensively. This compound emphasizes the process of deterioration.
  • Trần nhà cũ kỹ bị bong tróc. (The old ceiling is peeling and flaking.)
• Trốc (v - dialectal variant): A common northern dialect pronunciation of "tróc" with the same core meanings.

Synonyms

• Peel off / Flake off: for surfaces like paint or skin.
• Detach / Come loose: for items glued or stuck on.
• Apprehend / Capture: for the archaic meaning of seizing someone.

Related Idioms

• Tróc đầu, tróc cổ: (literally: to peel/scalp the head and neck) An idiom meaning to press someone relentlessly for money (e.g., debt, taxes). It conveys a sense of being harassed or "skinned" financially.
  • Chủ nợ tróc đầu tróc cổ anh ta để đòi tiền. (The creditor harassed him relentlessly to collect the debt.)

verb

1. to scale off; to come off