Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Heavy, burdensome, cumbersome: Describes something that is physically heavy, difficult to carry, or causes a feeling of oppression and burden.
   • Oppressive, overwhelming: Describes a situation, atmosphere, or feeling that is stifling, difficult to bear, or causes mental or emotional pressure.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Chiếc vali này anh ách quá, tôi không thể xách nổi. (This suitcase is too heavy/cumbersome, I can't carry it.)
  • Bầu không khí trong phòng họp thật anh ách trước giờ thông báo quyết định. (The atmosphere in the meeting room was very oppressive before the decision was announced.)
  • Sau bữa tiệc, tôi cảm thấy bụng mình anh ách. (After the party, I felt my stomach was uncomfortably full/heavy.)

Advanced Usage

• "anh ách" to describe abstract burdens: Often used metaphorically to describe non-physical burdens like debt, responsibility, or sorrow.
  • Món nợ anh ách đang đè nặng lên gia đình anh ấy. (The crushing debt is weighing heavily on his family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ách (n): Yoke (literal); burden, oppression (figurative). This is the root word. "Anh ách" is a reduplicative form emphasizing the state.
• Nặng nề (adj): Heavy, grave, serious. A close synonym, though "nặng nề" can be more formal and is less onomatopoeic.
• Ngột ngạt (adj): Stifling, suffocating. A synonym specifically for the oppressive atmosphere sense.

Synonyms

• Nặng: Heavy.
• Cồng kềnh: Bulky, cumbersome (focuses more on size and awkwardness than weight).
• Đè nặng: To weigh down (verb phrase).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Mang ách: To bear a yoke; to live under oppression.
  • Nhân dân phải mang ách nô lệ trong nhiều năm. (The people had to bear the yoke of slavery for many years.)
• While "anh ách" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is a vivid descriptive word often used in expressive contexts to amplify the sense of burden.

1. xem ách