Definition

1. Verb:
   • To heat, to boil, to warm: The primary meaning of "đun" is to apply heat to something, typically a liquid or food, using a heat source like a fire or stove, in order to raise its temperature, often to the point of boiling.
   • To push, to shove: A secondary, less common meaning is to push something, often a vehicle, to make it move, especially when it has stalled or is on a slope.

Usage Examples

• To heat/boil:

  • Cô ấy đang đun nước để pha trà. (She is boiling water to make tea.)
  • Hãy đun sữa lên một chút trước khi cho em bé uống. (Please warm the milk a little before giving it to the baby.)
  • Đun nhỏ lửa cho nước sốt sánh lại. (Simmer the sauce over low heat until it thickens.)

• To push/shove:

  • Xe tôi bị chết máy, chúng tôi phải đun nó vào lề đường. (My car stalled, we had to push it to the roadside.)
  • Đoạn đường này dốc quá, phải đun xe mới lên được. (This road is too steep; you have to shove the vehicle to get up.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đun đi đun lại": To reheat something repeatedly. Often used figuratively to mean revisiting an old topic or argument.
  • Chuyện cũ đừng đun đi đun lại nữa. (Don't keep bringing up old matters.)
• "Đun nấu": A compound verb meaning to cook (by applying heat). This is listed here as it is a common collocation, but note it combines "đun" with "nấu" (to cook).
  • Cô ấy đun nấu rất khéo. (She cooks very skillfully.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đun nóng (verb phrase): To heat up.
  • Đun nóng chảo trước khi cho dầu vào. (Heat up the pan before adding oil.)
• Nấu (verb): To cook. While "đun" focuses on the application of heat, "nấu" is the broader act of cooking.
• Hâm (verb): To reheat (usually food).
• Đẩy (verb): To push. This is the more general and common verb for "to push," whereas "đun" in this sense is specific to situations like pushing vehicles.

Synonyms

• Đun (nghĩa làm nóng): Đốt nóng (to heat by burning), Làm nóng (to make hot), Nấu (to cook/boil).
• Đun (nghĩa đẩy): Đẩy (to push), Xô (to shove).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Đun lên: To heat/boil something up.
  • Đun súp lên trước khi ăn. (Heat the soup up before eating.)
• Đun sôi: To bring to a boil.
  • Đun sôi nước trong 5 phút. (Boil the water for 5 minutes.)
• Đun nhỏ lửa: To simmer (to cook over low heat).
  • Sau khi sôi, đun nhỏ lửa trong 20 phút. (After boiling, simmer for 20 minutes.)

Related Idioms

• Đun sôi nước sông cũng không có cá: Literally "Even if you boil the river water, you won't get fish." This idiom means that no matter how much effort you put into a hopeless situation, you will not get the desired result. It criticizes futile effort.
  • Anh ấy cứ cố làm việc đó, nhưng đun sôi nước sông cũng không có cá đâu. (He keeps trying to do that, but it's a futile effort; he won't succeed.)

verb

1. to heat; to boil; to warm to push; to shove