Definition

1. Verb:
   • To devastate: To cause severe, widespread, and often irreversible damage or destruction to something, such as a region, population, or environment.
   • To slaughter / to massacre: To kill people or living beings in a cruel, brutal, and often large-scale manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Chiến tranh đã tàn hại cả một vùng rộng lớn. (The war devastated a vast region.)
  • Bệnh dịch tàn hại đàn gia súc. (The epidemic devastated the herd of cattle.)
  • Kẻ xâm lược tàn hại dân làng không thương tiếc. (The invaders mercilessly slaughtered the villagers.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "tàn hại" carries a strong connotation of cruelty, brutality, and large-scale impact. It is often used in historical, military, or ecological contexts to describe acts of extreme violence or destruction.

Variants and Related Words

• Tàn phá (v): to ravage, to destroy. This word focuses more on physical destruction rather than the act of killing.
  • Bão đã tàn phá thành phố. (The storm ravaged the city.)
• Hủy diệt (v): to annihilate, to obliterate. This word implies complete and total destruction.
  • Vũ khí có sức hủy diệt khủng khiếp. (The weapon has terrifying destructive power.)

Synonyms

• Devastate: to lay waste to, to destroy.
• Ravage: to cause severe and extensive damage.
• Slaughter: to kill (people or animals) in a violent and cruel way, especially in large numbers.

Related Idioms

• "Tàn hại sinh linh": To devastate living beings; to cause widespread death and suffering among people or animals.
  • Nạn đói tàn hại sinh linh trên khắp vùng. (The famine devastated living beings across the region.)

verb

1. to devastate