Definition

1. Verb:
   • To torture: To inflict severe physical or mental pain upon someone, typically to extract information, a confession, or to punish.
   • To consult / to research (archaic): An older, now less common meaning referring to the act of carefully examining or consulting reference materials, such as classical texts or documents.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to torture):

  • Nhà cầm quyền đã tra khảo tù nhân. (The authorities tortured the prisoner.)
  • Bị tra khảo dã man, nhưng anh ấy vẫn không khai. (Brutally tortured, he still did not confess.)

• Verb (to consult/research - archaic):

  • Các học giả thường tra khảo sử sách. (Scholars often consulted historical texts.)

Advanced Usage

• The primary and dominant modern usage of "tra khảo" is "to torture." The meaning related to consulting texts is considered archaic and is rarely used in contemporary spoken Vietnamese. When it appears, it is typically in formal, literary, or historical contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Tra tấn (v): to torture, to torment. This is a more common synonym for the act of inflicting physical pain.

  • Hắn bị tra tấn đến chết. (He was tortured to death.)

• Tra cứu (v): to look up, to consult (e.g., a dictionary, data). This is the standard modern word for consulting references.

  • Tra cứu thông tin trên mạng. (Look up information online.)

Synonyms

• To torture: To cause extreme physical suffering.
• To interrogate under torture: To question using brutal methods.
• To consult (archaic): To refer to for information.

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms directly built around "tra khảo." Its usage is typically direct and literal, describing the act of torture.

verb

1. to torture