Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To become stuck together in a lump or mass: Refers to the process where fine, dry particles (like flour, powder, or grains) clump together, often due to moisture absorption or pressure, forming a solid or semi-solid aggregate.
   • To agglomerate, to cake: Describes the state of substances that have lost their loose, granular form and have fused into a single, often hard, mass.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Bột mì để lâu trong túi nilong dễ bị đóng chóc. (Flour left in a plastic bag for a long time easily cakes together.)
  • Đường ẩm sẽ đóng chóc lại, phải dùng thìa để tán ra. (Damp sugar will clump together; you have to use a spoon to break it up.)
  • Gạo trong môi trường ẩm ướt không được bảo quản kín có thể đóng chóc. (Rice in a humid environment that is not stored airtight can agglomerate.)

Advanced Usage

• This verb is typically used to describe an undesirable state of dry goods, implying a loss of quality or usability. It often carries a negative connotation.
• It is commonly used in contexts related to food storage, cooking ingredients, or any fine particulate matter.

Variants and Related Words

• Vón cục (verb): To form lumps. This is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "đóng chóc," though "vón cục" can apply to a wider range of substances (e.g., vón cục máu - blood clot).
• Kết tảng (verb): To solidify into a block or slab. This implies a larger, harder mass than "đóng chóc."
• Dính lại (verb): To stick together. A more general term for things adhering to each other.

Synonyms

• Agglomerate: To gather into a cluster or mass.
• Cake: (Of a substance) to form into a compact, solid mass.
• Clump together: To form tight groups or clusters.
• Cohere: To stick together to form a whole.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• : (To be) caked together like a cake. An idiom emphasizing the solid, lumpy state.
  • Bột bắp bị ướt đóng chóc như bánh, không dùng được nữa. (The wet cornstarch caked together like a cake and is no longer usable.)

1. Glue together
   • Bột đã đóng chóc lại
     The flour has glued together