bất chấp

In Defiance of

Level 6

Bất chấp means 'despite', 'in defiance of', or 'recklessly'. It is used when someone ignores an obstacle, inconvenience, or rule to show determination, or acts without regard for consequences.

How It Works

Bất chấp (不執) literally means 'not accepting/attaching'. In Vietnamese, it is used to show that an action proceeds despite an opposing force, emphasizing determination or stubbornness.

1. As a Preposition or Conjunction (Despite / In defiance of)
It attaches directly to nouns, noun phrases, or full clauses. When placed at the beginning of a sentence, it is frequently paired with vẫn (still) in the main clause, though it can sometimes be omitted or replaced by other continuative markers.

  • Bất chấp trời mưa, anh ấy vẫn đi làm. (Despite the rain, he still went to work.)
  • Bất chấp mệt mỏi, cô ấy vẫn học bài. (Despite the fatigue, she still studied.)

To sound more formal when attaching to a clause, you can optionally nominalize it using việc (Turning A Clause Into A Noun).

  • Bất chấp việc anh ấy chưa có kinh nghiệm, công ty vẫn nhận anh ấy. (Despite the fact that he has no experience, the company still hired him.)

2. As a Main Verb (To defy / To ignore)
It can act as a transitive verb meaning to actively defy or ignore something, without needing a vẫn clause.

  • Họ bất chấp luật pháp. (They defy the law.)

A highly frequent fixed phrase is bất chấp tất cả (despite everything / at all costs).

3. As an Adverb (Recklessly / Blindly)
In everyday spoken Vietnamese, it frequently appears directly after a verb to describe doing something recklessly, ignoring all consequences.

  • Yêu bất chấp (To love blindly)
  • Ăn bất chấp (To eat recklessly)

Important Distinction:
While mặc dù ... nhưng ... is a neutral concessive marker ('although'), bất chấp carries a stronger tone of determination or stubbornness. It can be used for severe dangers or everyday inconveniences, as long as you want to emphasize the subject's persistence.

Examples (5)

  1. Bất chấp nguy hiểm, anh ấy vẫn lao vào biển lửa để cứu người.

    In defiance of the danger, he still rushed into the sea of fire to save people.

    Word by Word: Defying danger, he still rush into sea fire to save person.

    A classic usage where 'bất chấp' precedes a noun to show active defiance of a severe obstacle.

  2. Bất chấp trời mưa to, trận đấu vẫn diễn ra.

    Despite it raining heavily, the match still took place.

    Word by Word: Defying sky rain big, match still take place.

    Used directly before a full clause (trời mưa to) to indicate proceeding against adverse conditions.

  3. Họ bất chấp luật pháp để làm giàu.

    They defy the law to get rich.

    Word by Word: They defy law to make rich.

    Here, 'bất chấp' acts as a main transitive verb meaning 'to defy' or 'to ignore', without needing a 'vẫn' clause.

  4. Anh ấy quyết tâm đạt được mục tiêu bất chấp tất cả.

    He is determined to achieve his goal at all costs.

    Word by Word: He determined achieve goal defying all.

    Using the highly frequent fixed phrase 'bất chấp tất cả' (despite everything / at all costs).

  5. Thấy đồ ăn ngon là bọn họ ăn uống bất chấp.

    Seeing delicious food, they eat and drink recklessly.

    Word by Word: See food delicious is they eat drink recklessly.

    A modern, casual adverbial usage where 'bất chấp' follows the verb to mean doing something blindly or without caring about consequences.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out 'vẫn' (still) in the main clause.

    Different MeaningBất chấp trời mưa to, anh ấy đi làm.
    Bất chấp trời mưa to, anh ấy vẫn đi làm.

    This sentence is correct. When bất chấp introduces an obstacle, adding vẫn (still) in the main clause is common because it stresses that the action goes ahead anyway, but it is optional.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

bất chấpLevel 6In Defiance of

Learn This First

To understand 'bất chấp' (in defiance of), learners should be familiar with the Sino-Vietnamese prefix 'bất-' which indicates negation or opposition. Additionally, because this pattern often functions as a concessive connector (similar to 'although'), familiarity with the adverb 'vẫn' is necessary to construct natural sentences where an action persists despite a warning or rule.

Words in This Pattern

bất chấpbất chấp