trả miếng
Hai đứa trẻ đang chơi đùa thì một đứa vô tình đẩy bạn, và bạn nó liền trả miếng bằng cách đẩy lại nhẹ.
Definition
- Verb:
- To retaliate / to hit back: To respond to an attack, insult, or provocation with a similarly forceful action. It implies a direct, often immediate, response in kind.
- To give tit for tat / to give as good as one gets: To repay a harmful or negative action with an equivalent action.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau khi bị chê bai, cô ấy đã trả miếng bằng một bài viết chỉ trích lại. (After being criticized, she retaliated with a critical article.)
- Đối thủ tấn công dữ dội, nhưng đội chủ nhà ngay lập tức trả miếng bằng một bàn thắng. (The opponent attacked fiercely, but the home team immediately hit back with a goal.)
- Anh ấy không bao giờ chịu thua, luôn tìm cách trả miếng. (He never gives up, always finding a way to give as good as he gets.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a connotation of justified or deserved retribution within a conflict, competition, or argument. It is frequently used in contexts of sports, debate, politics, and personal disputes.
Variants and Related Words
- Ăn miếng trả miếng: This is a common idiomatic compound phrase meaning "tit for tat" or "an eye for an eye." It describes a cycle of reciprocal retaliation.
- Cuộc tranh cãi trở thành một vòng luẩn quẩn ăn miếng trả miếng. (The argument became a vicious cycle of tit for tat.)
Synonyms
- Retaliate: To make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack.
- Retort: To answer back sharply or wittily.
- Counterattack: To attack in response to an attack.
- Reciprocate: To respond to an action with a corresponding one (often negative).
Related Idioms
- Tit for tat: The practice of responding to an action with an equivalent action, especially a negative one.
- An eye for an eye: The principle of demanding punishment or retaliation that is exactly equivalent to the offense.
- Give someone a taste of their own medicine: To treat someone as they have treated you (usually negatively).