trù úm
Definition
- Verb:
- To bully, to oppress, or to keep someone in a subservient position: The primary meaning of "trù úm" is to intentionally and maliciously harm, suppress, or hold back a subordinate or someone in a weaker position, preventing their advancement or well-being.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông chủ cũ thường xuyên trù úm nhân viên. (The old boss frequently bullied his employees.)
- Không nên trù úm người khác chỉ vì họ yếu thế hơn. (One should not oppress others just because they are in a weaker position.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "trù úm" carries a strong negative connotation, implying a sustained, deliberate, and often abusive misuse of power. It is typically used in contexts describing workplace harassment, systemic suppression, or personal malice within a hierarchy.
Synonyms
- To bully: To use superior strength or influence to intimidate someone.
- To oppress: To keep someone in subservience and hardship, especially through unjust exercise of authority.
- To suppress: To put an end to the activity or growth of someone, often forcibly.
- To hold down: To keep someone in a low position or prevent their progress.
Related Idioms
- While "trù úm" itself is not commonly part of a wider idiom, its meaning is closely related to concepts of abuse of power. A related concept is:
- Đàn áp: to repress or to persecute (often on a larger, political scale).
- Chế độ đó đàn áp tự do ngôn luận. (That regime repressed freedom of speech.)