trộm
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To steal, to burgle: To take someone else's property secretly and without permission, often while they are not present or aware.
- To do something secretly / furtively: To perform an action (like looking, listening, reading) in a hidden, covert manner without the knowledge of others.
Noun:
- Thief, burglar: A person who steals, especially one who enters a building illegally to do so.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to steal):
- Kẻ gian đã trộm chiếc xe máy của tôi. (A villain stole my motorbike.)
- Cửa hàng bị trộm vào ban đêm. (The shop was burgled at night.)
- Verb (to do secretly):
- Cậu bé đọc trộm nhật ký của chị gái. (The boy secretly read his sister's diary.)
- Họ nói trộm sau lưng sếp. (They talk secretly behind the boss's back.)
- Noun (thief):
- Cảnh sát vừa bắt được tên trộm. (The police just caught the thief.)
Advanced Usage
- "trộm nghĩ" / "trộm nghe": A formal or literary expression used to humbly introduce one's own thought or a piece of hearsay, translating to "I dare think that..." or "I have heard it said that...".
- Tôi trộm nghĩ rằng phương án này khả thi hơn. (I dare think that this plan is more feasible.)
- Tôi trộm nghe nói ông ấy sắp nghỉ hưu. (I have heard it said that he is about to retire.)
- "trộm vía": A common folk expression said to ward off bad luck, especially when complimenting a young child's health or appearance. It has no direct translation but implies "knock on wood" or "touch wood".
- Bé trộm vía rất ngoan và khỏe mạnh. (The child, touch wood, is very well-behaved and healthy.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ăn trộm (v/n): To steal; a thief. This is a very common synonym.
- Tên ăn trộm bị bắt quả tang. (The thief was caught red-handed.)
- Trộm cắp (n): Theft, stealing (as a general concept or activity).
- Tội trộm cắp bị phạt rất nặng. (The crime of theft is punished severely.)
- Trộm nhớ thầm yêu: To love someone secretly, from afar.
Synonyms
- Verb: To steal, to pilfer, to burgle, to swipe, to filch.
- Noun: Thief, burglar, robber, pilferer.
Related Idioms
- Chân ướt chân ráo: (Literally: one foot wet, one foot dry) Used to describe a thief who is caught immediately upon entering or just after committing a crime.
- Tên trộm bị bắt ngay khi vừa đột nhập, đúng là chân ướt chân ráo. (The burglar was caught right after breaking in, caught in the very act.)
verb
- to steal, to burgle