đánh chết
Definition
- Verb (vulgar/colloquial):
- To beat to death; to strike fatally: The primary meaning is to physically assault someone with the intent or result of causing their death.
- To criticize or scold severely (figurative): Used hyperbolically to mean reprimanding or berating someone very harshly, as if verbally "beating them to death."
Usage Examples
- Literal meaning:
- Bọn cướp đe dọa sẽ đánh chết con tin. (The robbers threatened to beat the hostage to death.)
- Figurative meaning:
- Sếp đánh chết nhân viên vì lỗi sai trong báo cáo. (The boss severely scolded the employee for the mistake in the report.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is considered vulgar and forceful. It is typically used in informal speech, narratives of violence, or for exaggerated figurative effect. It is not used in polite or formal contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Đánh (v): to hit, to strike, to beat. The core verb from which the phrase is built.
- Giết (v): to kill. A more direct and standard term for causing death.
- Hành hạ (v): to torture, to mistreat. Implies causing prolonged suffering.
Synonyms
- Beat to death: to kill by repeated physical blows.
- Pummel: to strike repeatedly, typically with the fists.
- Berate severely: to scold or criticize angrily and at length (for the figurative sense).
Related Idioms
- "đánh chết cái nết không chừa": A proverb meaning "old habits die hard." Literally, "you can beat (it) to death, but the bad habit won't quit," implying ingrained character is very difficult to change.
- Nó vẫn lười biếng, đúng là đánh chết cái nết không chừa. (He's still lazy; it's true that old habits die hard.)