Definition

1. Verb:
   • To climb: To move upwards, typically using one's hands and feet to grasp or support oneself on surfaces, objects, or terrain. It implies ascending something relatively steep or vertical, such as a tree, wall, or mountain.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Bọn trẻ thích trèo cây. (The children like to climb trees.)
  • Anh ấy phải trèo tường để vào trong. (He had to climb the wall to get inside.)
  • Chúng tôi định trèo núi vào cuối tuần. (We plan to climb the mountain this weekend.)

Advanced Usage

• "trèo cao ngã đau": A proverb meaning "the higher you climb, the harder you fall." It warns about the greater risks or consequences associated with ambitious pursuits.

  • Anh ta luôn mạo hiểm trong kinh doanh, đúng là trèo cao ngã đau. (He always takes risks in business; it's a case of "the higher you climb, the harder you fall.")

• "trèo đèo lội suối": An idiom describing a journey over mountains and through streams, implying a difficult, arduous trek or overcoming many obstacles.

  • Để tìm được loài hoa quý, họ đã phải trèo đèo lội suối. (To find the rare flower, they had to trek over mountains and through streams.)

Variants and Related Words

• Leo (verb): A very close synonym, also meaning "to climb." It is often used interchangeably with "trèo," though "leo" can sometimes sound slightly more formal or literary.

  • Leo núi (mountain climbing)

• Bám trèo (verb phrase): To cling and climb, emphasizing the gripping action.

  • Con khỉ bám trèo trên cành cây. (The monkey clings and climbs on the tree branch.)

Synonyms

• Leo: To climb.
• Bò (lên): To crawl (up), used for climbing in a more laborious, crawling manner.
• Chinh phục (đỉnh núi): To conquer (a mountain peak), used for significant achievements in climbing.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Trèo lên: To climb up onto something.

  • Nó trèo lên nóc nhà. (He climbed up onto the roof.)

• Trèo qua: To climb over something.

  • Chúng tôi phải trèo qua hàng rào. (We had to climb over the fence.)

• Trèo xuống: To climb down from something.

  • Hãy cẩn thận khi trèo xuống thang. (Be careful when climbing down the ladder.)

Related Idioms

• Trèo cây tìm cá: Literally "to climb a tree looking for fish," meaning to engage in a futile or illogical action, to look for something in the wrong place.
  • Yêu cầu nó giữ bí mật chẳng khác nào trèo cây tìm cá. (Asking him to keep a secret is like climbing a tree to look for fish.)

verb

1. to climb