Definition

1. Preposition:

   • Toward / To / With: Used to indicate a relationship, direction, or attitude directed at a person, thing, or situation. It often translates as "toward," "to," or "with" when describing how one behaves in relation to something else.
   • Regarding / Concerning / In relation to: Used to specify the subject or target of a discussion, feeling, or action.

2. Verb:

   • To oppose / To counter: To act against something; to be in conflict or competition with.
   • To face / To be opposite: To be positioned directly across from something; to be symmetrical or parallel.
   • To match (in poetry/literature): In classical Vietnamese poetry (like in câu đối - parallel sentences), it means to form a pair where two elements correspond in meaning, word type, and tonal pattern.

Usage Examples

• Preposition:
  • Anh ấy rất tử tế đối với mọi người. (He is very kind toward everyone.)
  • Thái độ đối với công việc rất quan trọng. (Attitude toward work is very important.)
• Verb:
  • Hai đội sẽ đối đầu nhau trong trận chung kết. (The two teams will face/oppose each other in the final match.)
  • Hai câu thơ này đối nhau rất chỉnh. (These two poetic lines match each other very precisely.)

Advanced Usage

• "đối với": This is the most common compound form, functioning as a complex preposition meaning "to," "toward," "for," or "regarding."
  • Đối với tôi, gia đình là trên hết. (For me, family comes first.)
• "đối diện": to face, to be opposite.
  • Cửa hàng của họ đối diện với công viên. (Their shop faces the park.)
• "đối lập": to contrast, to be opposite.
  • Ý kiến của anh ấy hoàn toàn đối lập. (His opinion is completely opposite.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phản đối (v): to oppose, to protest.
  • Người dân phản đối dự án mới. (The people oppose the new project.)
• Đối phương (n): the opponent, the other party.
  • Chúng ta cần hiểu đối phương. (We need to understand the opponent.)
• Đối xử (v): to treat, to behave toward.
  • Công ty đối xử rất tốt với nhân viên. (The company treats its employees very well.)
• Câu đối (n): a pair of parallel sentences (a traditional literary form).
  • Ông treo câu đối đỏ trong nhà dịp Tết. (He hung red parallel sentences in the house for Tet.)

Synonyms

• Preposition: Toward, to, regarding, concerning.
• Verb (oppose): Oppose, counter, resist.
• Verb (face): Face, front.

Related Idioms

• Mặt đối mặt: Face to face.
  • Họ cần gặp nhau mặt đối mặt. (They need to meet face to face.)
• Đối đầu trực tiếp: To confront directly.
  • Hai công ty đang đối đầu trực tiếp trên thị trường. (The two companies are directly confronting each other in the market.)

1. contrary to; opposite to
   • phản đối
     To oppose Against