Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Shining black, glossy black: Describes a deep black color with a bright, reflective, or lustrous quality, often used for hair, eyes, or polished surfaces.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Mái tóc cô ấy đen nhánh. (Her hair is shining black.)
  • Chiếc xe màu đen nhánh trông rất sang trọng. (The glossy black car looks very luxurious.)
  • Đôi mắt đen nhánh của em bé. (The baby's jet-black eyes.)

Advanced Usage

• "đen nhánh như gỗ mun": (as black and shiny as ebony wood) A simile emphasizing a deep, polished black.
  • Làn da của anh ấy rám nắng, nhưng mái tóc vẫn đen nhánh như gỗ mun. (His skin was tanned, but his hair remained as black and shiny as ebony.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đen (adj): Black. The root word for color.
• Đen bóng (adj): Glossy black, shiny black. A close synonym.
• Đen huyền (adj): Jet black, raven black (often poetic, typically for hair or eyes).
• Nhánh (adj): This word on its own is archaic/poetic, meaning "shiny" or "lustrous," and is now almost exclusively used in this compound form "đen nhánh."

Synonyms

• Đen bóng: Glossy black.
• Đen huyền: Jet black, raven black (with a poetic nuance).
• Đen lánh: Glossy black, shimmering black.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "nhánh" in "đen nhánh" specifically contributes the meaning of shine, gloss, or luster. Therefore, "đen nhánh" is not just dark black, but a black that reflects light, appearing sleek and polished.
• It is primarily used to describe things that naturally have or can have a sheen: hair, eyes, feathers, wet stones, polished metal, lacquered wood, etc.

1. Shining black