Ngẹt

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Stuffy / Stifling: Describes an atmosphere or space that is uncomfortably warm, lacks fresh air, and is difficult to breathe in.
   • Blocked / Congested: Refers to a passage, such as a nose or a road, that is obstructed, preventing free flow.

2. Verb (in common descriptive use):

   • To be choked / To be clogged: Used to describe the state of something becoming severely blocked or congested.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Căn phòng nhỏ rất ngẹt. (The small room is very stuffy.)
  • Tôi bị ngẹt mũi. (I have a blocked nose.)
• Verb (descriptive):
  • Đường phố ngẹt cứng vì xe cộ. (The street is completely choked with traffic.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngẹt thở": Literally "breath-blocking," used to describe an extremely tense, oppressive, or suffocating situation, either physically or emotionally.
  • Bầu không khí trong phòng họp thật ngẹt thở. (The atmosphere in the meeting room was truly suffocating.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghẹt (adj/v): A common alternate spelling with identical meaning and usage (stuffy, blocked).
  • Cống bị nghẹt. (The drain is clogged.)

Synonyms

• Stuffy: (for air) close, airless, suffocating.
• Blocked: (for passages) clogged, congested, obstructed.

Related Idioms

• Ngẹt tiếng: To be speechless or to have one's voice choked, often due to strong emotion.
  • Nghe tin đó, cô ấy ngẹt tiếng không nói được. (Hearing that news, she was speechless.)