Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cling to, to stick to, to adhere to: To attach oneself firmly to a surface or object, often for support or to avoid separation.
   • To follow closely, to tail, to stick with: To stay very near to someone or something, not allowing distance to form.
   • To depend on, to sponge off, to live off: To rely on another person for sustenance or support, often in a persistent or unwelcome manner.
   • To hold on to rigidly, to adhere rigidly to: To base one's actions or thoughts inflexibly on a particular idea, rule, or person.

Usage Examples

• To cling/stick:
  • Đứa trẻ bám chặt vào tay mẹ. (The child clung tightly to her mother's hand.)
  • Bùn bám đầy lốp xe. (Mud stuck all over the tires.)
• To follow closely:
  • Cảnh sát bám sát chiếc xe đáng ngờ. (The police tailed the suspicious car closely.)
• To depend on:
  • Anh ta không làm việc, chỉ bám vào gia đình vợ. (He doesn't work, he just sponges off his wife's family.)
• To hold on rigidly:
  • Đừng bám vào những quy tắc cũ kĩ đó. (Don't rigidly adhere to those old-fashioned rules.)

Advanced Usage

• "bám trụ": to hold one's ground, to cling on (often in a difficult situation).
  • Công ty nhỏ đang cố bám trụ trong khủng hoảng. (The small company is trying to hold its ground during the crisis.)
• "bám víu": to cling to (often emotionally or desperately).
  • Cô ấy bám víu vào hy vọng cuối cùng. (She clung to her last hope.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bám chặt (v): to cling tightly, to stick fast.
• Bám gót (v): to follow on someone's heels, to shadow someone closely.
• Bám sát (v): to follow/stick very closely; to adhere closely to (a plan, reality).
• Bám biển (v): to cling to the sea (e.g., fishermen working at sea despite storms).

Synonyms

• Cling, adhere, stick: for physical attachment.
• Tail, shadow, follow: for close pursuit.
• Depend, leech, parasitize: for relying on others.
• Adhere (to), fixate (on): for rigidly holding an idea.

Related Idioms

• Bám váy mẹ: Literally "to cling to mother's skirt"; to be overly dependent, not independent.
  • Đã lớn rồi, đừng có lúc nào cũng bám váy mẹ. (You're grown up now, don't always cling to your mother's skirt.)
• Bám người như đỉa: Literally "to cling to someone like a leech"; to be an extremely persistent and burdensome dependent.
  • Hắn bám người ta như đỉa, không chịu tự lập. (He clings to people like a leech, refusing to be independent.)

verb

1. To hang on to, to stick fast to
   • bám cành cây đu người lên
     to hang on to a branch and swing oneself on it
   • đỉa bám chân
     a leech sticks fast to a leg
   • rễ bám càng sâu thì cây càng vững
     the deeper a tree strikes its roots, the steadier it is
   • bụi bám đầy đầu anh ta
     dust sticks all over his head
2. To sponge on