Definition

1. Verb:
   • To howl: To emit a long, loud, mournful cry, typically associated with certain animals like dogs or wolves.
   • To yell / to shriek: To let out a loud, sharp cry of pain, anger, or extreme emotion.
   • To kill (archaic, literary): To put to death. This meaning is almost exclusively found in the fixed, proverbial expression "trời tru đất diệt".

Usage Examples

• Verb (to howl/yell):
  • Con chó tru lên mỗi đêm. (The dog howls every night.)
  • Đứa bé đau quá, tru lên. (The child was in so much pain, he shrieked.)
• Verb (to kill - in fixed expression):
  • Kẻ phản bội ấy, trời tru đất diệt! (May heaven and earth destroy that traitor!)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "tru" is considered literary and dramatic. In modern spoken Vietnamese, "hú" (to howl) or "gào thét" (to yell/scream) are more common for its primary meanings.
• The usage meaning "to kill" is obsolete outside of the curse/imprecation "trời tru đất diệt", which is a powerful expression wishing for divine punishment and annihilation.

Variants and Related Words

• Tru tréo (v): to scream, to shriek loudly and shrilly (often in protest or complaint).
  • Nó tru tréo lên khi bị mất đồ chơi. (He screamed shrilly when he lost his toy.)

Synonyms

• Howl: to make a long, loud, crying sound (like a wolf or dog).
• Shriek: to utter a sharp, high-pitched cry.
• Yell: to shout loudly.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Trời tru đất diệt: A severe curse meaning "May heaven and earth destroy/kill [you/him/etc.]". It expresses utter condemnation and a wish for divine retribution.
  • Tên tội phạm tàn ác đó đáng bị trời tru đất diệt. (That cruel criminal deserves to be cursed and destroyed by heaven and earth.)