ma lem
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Very dirty, grimy, or begrimed: Describes a person, especially a child, who is extremely dirty, soiled, or covered in filth.
- Sloppy or unkempt in appearance: Can describe someone who looks disheveled, messy, or like a scarecrow due to dirtiness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Con về nhà với quần áo đầy bùn, trông ma lem hết cả người. (The child came home with clothes full of mud, looking completely begrimed.)
- Đến giờ đi học rồi mà vẫn như ma lem thế ư? (It's time for school already and you still look so filthy?)
- Đứa bé chơi ngoài vườn cả buổi, mặt mũi ma lem. (The kid played in the garden all afternoon, face all grimy.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in a mildly scolding or affectionate manner towards children who have gotten dirty from play.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe something as morally tarnished or sullied, though this is less common.
Variants and Related Words
- Lem luốc (adj): Synonymous with , meaning very dirty or slovenly.
- Tay chân lem luốc vì nghịch đất. (Hands and feet are filthy from playing with dirt.)
Synonyms
- Filthy: Extremely dirty.
- Grimy: Covered with ingrained dirt or soot.
- Soiled: Made dirty.
- Bedaubed: Smeared or daubed with something dirty.
- Unkempt: Having an untidy or disheveled appearance.
Related Idioms
- Như ma lem / Trông như ma lem: To look like a mess; to look extremely dirty.
- Nó lăn lê trên đất, trông như ma lem. (He rolled on the ground and looked like a total mess.)
- begrimed, bedaubed, soiled