tra hỏi
Definition
- Verb:
- To interrogate: To question someone persistently and systematically, often in a formal or official context, to obtain information or a confession.
- To grill / to question closely: To ask someone a series of forceful, detailed, and pressing questions.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cảnh sát đang tra hỏi nghi phạm. (The police are interrogating the suspect.)
- Phóng viên tra hỏi chính trị gia về vụ bê bối. (The reporter grilled the politician about the scandal.)
- Bố mẹ tra hỏi tôi về nơi tôi đã đi tối qua. (My parents questioned me closely about where I went last night.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a formal, intense, or prolonged questioning session where the questioner is in a position of authority or is seeking specific, often concealed, information.
- It can be used in legal, journalistic, or parental contexts, carrying a tone of seriousness and pressure.
Variants and Related Words
Thẩm vấn (v): To interrogate (more formal, typically used in legal or state security contexts).
- Luật sư yêu cầu có mặt khi thẩm vấn. (The lawyer requested to be present during the interrogation.)
Chất vấn (v): To question, to interpellate (often used in political or parliamentary settings).
- Đại biểu Quốc hội chất vấn Bộ trưởng. (The National Assembly delegate questioned the Minister.)
Synonyms
- Interrogate: To question formally and systematically.
- Grill: To question intensely and relentlessly.
- Cross-examine: To question closely, especially to check answers given previously.
Related Idioms
- Tra khảo: To torture for information (a stronger, more severe term implying physical or mental duress).
- Không được phép tra khảo tù nhân. (It is not permitted to torture prisoners for information.)