Definition

1. Verb:
   • To rob, to commit robbery: The act of using force, violence, or the threat thereof to take money, property, or valuables from someone else. It implies a direct, confrontational, and often violent theft.
   • To plunder, to loot: The act of seizing goods, especially on a large scale during times of conflict or lawlessness, such as in war or by corrupt officials.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Quan lại ăn cướp của dân. (The mandarins robbed the people.)
  • Bọn cướp đã ăn cướp ngân hàng vào ban ngày. (The robbers robbed the bank in broad daylight.)
  • Cuộc chiến tranh ăn cướp. (A predatory/plundering war.)

Advanced Usage

• "vừa ăn cướp vừa la làng": Literally "to rob and then cry 'stop thief!'". This idiom describes the hypocritical act of committing a crime and then pretending to be a victim or an innocent bystander to divert blame. It is equivalent to the English idiom "the thief crying 'stop thief!'".
  • Hắn ta chính là kẻ vừa ăn cướp vừa la làng. (He is the one who is the thief crying 'stop thief!'.)
• "vừa đánh trống vừa ăn cướp": A variant of the above idiom, meaning "to beat the drum while robbing". It describes acting brazenly and openly while committing a wrongful act, showing utter shamelessness.

Variants and Related Words

• Cướp (verb/noun): To rob; a robber, bandit. This is the root word. "Ăn cướp" is a verb phrase derived from it.
• Vụ cướp (noun): A robbery, a heist.
  • Cảnh sát đang điều tra vụ cướp. (The police are investigating the robbery.)
• Kẻ cướp (noun): A robber, a bandit.
• Cướp bóc (verb): To plunder, to loot (often used for large-scale, chaotic stealing).

Synonyms

• Cướp đoạt: To seize, to usurp (often by force or deceit).
• Chiếm đoạt: To appropriate, to seize (can be by force or illegal means).
• Cướp giật: To snatch, to grab (implies a quick, often violent theft).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a verb phrase itself, "ăn cướp" does not typically combine further to form distinct phrasal verbs. Its usage is captured in the idioms above.

Related Idioms

• Ăn cướp còn có giờ giấc: Literally "even robbers have their schedules". This idiom criticizes someone for acting in a disorderly, unpredictable, or excessively brazen manner, implying that even criminals have more discipline or discretion.
  • Anh làm việc lung tung, ăn cướp còn có giờ giấc! (You work so haphazardly, even robbers have their schedules!)

verb

1. To rob
   • quan lại ăn cướp của dân
     the mandarins robbed the people
   • cuộc chiến tranh ăn cướp
     a predatory war
   • vừa ăn cướp vừa la làng, vừa đánh trống vừa ăn cướp
     Thief crying "Stop thief!"