Definition

1. Verb:
   • To take revenge / to avenge: To inflict harm or punishment on someone in return for a wrong or injury they have committed against oneself or one's loved ones. It implies a deliberate act of retaliation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hắn thề sẽ trả thù cho cái chết của người anh trai. (He swore to avenge his brother's death.)
  • Động cơ của vụ giết người dường như là để trả thù. (The motive for the murder appears to be revenge.)
  • Cô ấy không muốn trả thù; cô ấy chỉ muốn công lý. (She does not want revenge; she only wants justice.)

Advanced Usage

• The concept often carries a heavy, serious connotation, associated with cycles of violence or deep personal grievances.
• "trả thù đời": To take revenge on life/the world; to act out destructively due to a sense of being wronged by society or fate.
  • Sau một loạt thất bại, hắn ta có vẻ muốn trả thù đời. (After a series of failures, he seemed to want to take revenge on the world.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sự trả thù (n): Revenge, vengeance.
  • Sự trả thù của hắn thật tàn nhẫn. (His revenge was cruel.)
• Kẻ trả thù / Người trả thù (n): Avenger.
  • Trong câu chuyện, anh ta là người trả thù thầm lặng. (In the story, he is the silent avenger.)
• Thù (n): Enmity, hatred, a grievance.
  • Mối thù giữa hai gia đình kéo dài nhiều thế hệ. (The enmity between the two families lasted for generations.)

Synonyms

• Avenge: To inflict punishment for a wrong, often on behalf of another.
• Retaliate: To make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack.
• Get even: (Informal) To retaliate.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Trả thù nhà, đền nợ nước: A classical phrase meaning "to avenge one's family and repay the debt to the nation," expressing a deep sense of duty and retaliation for great wrongs.
  • Lời thề trả thù nhà, đền nợ nước. (The oath to avenge the family and repay the nation.)
• Ăn miếng trả miếng: Tit for tat; an eye for an eye. This describes direct, immediate retaliation.
  • Cuộc tranh cãi nhanh chóng biến thành một vòng ăn miếng trả miếng. (The argument quickly turned into a cycle of tit for tat.)

verb

1. to revenge