tử thù
Definition
- Noun:
- Mortal enemy / Deadly foe: An enemy with whom one's conflict is so profound and irreconcilable that it can only be resolved by the death of one party. It implies a hatred or feud that is to the death.
- Implacable hatred: The state of deep, unforgiving enmity itself.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Họ là tử thù của nhau. (They are mortal enemies of each other.)
- Mối tử thù giữa hai gia tộc kéo dài hàng thế kỷ. (The deadly feud between the two families lasted for centuries.)
- Hắn ta nhìn tôi với ánh mắt đầy tử thù. (He looked at me with a gaze full of implacable hatred.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in literary, historical, or dramatic contexts to describe conflicts in classic stories, clan rivalries, or epic narratives.
- It can function metaphorically to describe an intense, uncompromising rivalry in non-physical contexts, such as politics or business.
Variants and Related Words
- Kẻ thù không đội trời chung: (idiomatic phrase) An enemy who cannot share the same sky; a synonym for "mortal enemy."
- Thù hận: (n) Hatred, enmity (a more general term).
- Cửu thù: (n) Long-standing enmity.
Synonyms
- Mortal enemy: An enemy who is determined to kill or be killed.
- Archenemy: A chief enemy.
- Implacable foe: An enemy who cannot be appeased.
- Deadly feud: A conflict likely to end in death.
Related Idioms
- Một mất một còn: (idiom) Literally "one loses, one remains"; a life-or-death struggle.
- Cuộc chiến này là một mất một còn. (This war is a fight to the death.)
- Không đội trời chung: (idiom) Cannot share the same sky; describes an irreconcilable hatred.
- Họ là những kẻ không đội trời chung. (They are enemies who cannot share the same sky.)