đì đọp
Definition
- Verb:
- To detonate at intervals / to fire sporadically: Describes the action of bullets, shells, or explosives detonating or firing with irregular pauses between each explosion or shot.
- To oppress / to bully / to treat harshly: In a figurative and colloquial sense, it means to subject someone to persistent, mean-spirited, and oppressive treatment, often through petty actions.
Usage Examples
- Verb (literal):
- Súng trên chiến trường vẫn còn đì đọp. (Guns on the battlefield were still firing sporadically.)
- Verb (figurative):
- Ông chủ hay đì đọp nhân viên của mình. (The boss often bullies his employees.)
- Đừng có đì đọp nó mãi thế. (Stop treating him so harshly all the time.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is expressive and often carries a negative, critical tone, especially in its figurative usage. It implies a continuous, grating, and unfair action.
Variants and Related Words
- Đì (v): A shorter, more colloquial form meaning to oppress, bully, or put down someone.
- Nó cứ đì tôi hoài. (He keeps putting me down.)
Synonyms
- Sporadic fire: (for the literal meaning)
- Bully: to treat someone abusively.
- Persecute: to subject someone to hostility and ill-treatment.
- Harass: to torment or pressure someone constantly.
Related Idioms
- While "đì đọp" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its root "đì" appears in expressions like "đì xì" (to pressure or bully, often in a petty way).
- Bọn chúng cứ đì xì anh ấy về chuyện cũ. (They keep pressuring/bullying him about the old story.)