Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very black, pitch-black: Describes something that is extremely black in color, often with a sense of being unpleasantly, deeply, or uniformly dark. It can imply a lack of shine or a sooty, dull blackness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bầu trời đêm đen sì, không một vì sao. (The night sky was pitch-black, without a single star.)
  • Chiếc xe cũ kỹ ấy đã bị đen sì vì bụi than. (That old vehicle had become very black from coal dust.)
  • Nó có một bộ râu đen sì. (He has a jet-black beard.)

Advanced Usage

• "đen sì đen sịt": An intensified reduplicative form emphasizing an even deeper, more pervasive blackness, often with a negative connotation (e.g., dirty, stained).
  • Tay nó đen sì đen sịt vì dầu mỡ. (His hands were filthy black from grease.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đen (adj): Black. The root word.
• Đen kịt (adj): Jet-black, inky black. Similar to "đen sì" but can sometimes imply a thicker, more impenetrable blackness.
• Đen thui (adj): Completely black; often used for objects burned black or for humorously describing very dark skin tone.
• Đen nhẻm (adj): Smeared or stained black, often with dirt or soot.

Synonyms

• Đen kịt: Jet-black.
• Đen thùi lùi: (Colloquial) Very dark or black.

Notes on Meaning

• Connotation: "Đen sì" often carries a descriptive, and sometimes slightly negative or dirty connotation, unlike the neutral or positive "đen huyền" (lustrous black). It describes the quality of the black color itself as being intense and dull.
• Literal vs. Figurative: It is primarily used for literal color description. It is not typically used in the figurative sense of "unlucky" (which is "đen đủi" or "xui xẻo").

1. Very black