Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Sharp: Describes a blade or edge that is keen and able to cut easily.

2. Verb:

   • To touch, to make contact with: To come into physical contact with a surface, often lightly or briefly.
   • To set foot in, to dare to approach: To enter or go to a place, often implying hesitation or fear.
   • To catch, to take hold: For fire to start burning a material, or for an animal to bite onto bait. Figuratively, for an idea or habit to begin to take root.
   • To become accustomed to, to get a taste for: To begin to get used to or develop a familiarity with something.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Con dao này rất bén. (This knife is very sharp.)
• Verb:
  • Chân anh ấy bước nhanh đến mức không bén đất. (He walks so fast his feet hardly touch the ground.)
  • Nó không dám bén chân đến nhà bạn nó. (He dares not set foot in his friend's house.)
  • Lửa bén vào mái tranh. (The fire caught the straw roof.)
  • Cá đã bén mồi. (The fish has taken the bait.)
  • Mùi thiền đã bén muối dưa. (He has become accustomed to the simple life of salt and pickled vegetables.)

Advanced Usage

• "bén duyên": To begin to form a romantic bond or connection.
  • Hai người bén duyên từ một lần gặp gỡ tình cờ. (The two began their romance from a chance meeting.)
• "bén rễ": To take root (literally for plants, figuratively for ideas or traditions).
  • Tập quán mới đã bén rễ trong cộng đồng. (The new custom has taken root in the community.)
• "quen hơi bén tiếng": To become familiar with someone or something through repeated exposure.
  • Sau vài tuần làm việc chung, họ đã quen hơi bén tiếng. (After a few weeks of working together, they became well-acquainted.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sắc bén (adj): Sharp and penetrating; incisive (for blades or intellect).
  • Lưỡi dao sắc bén. (A sharp knife blade.)
  • Trí tuệ sắc bén. (An incisive mind.)
• Theo bén gót (verb phrase): To follow closely on someone's heels.
  • Đội đuổi theo bén gót đội đầu bảng. (The chasing team is following closely on the heels of the league leaders.)

Synonyms

• Sharp: Keen, cutting.
• To touch: To graze, to contact.
• To catch: To ignite, to kindle (for fire); to bite, to strike (for fishing).
• To become familiar: To get used to, to acclimatize.

Related Idioms

• Không dám bén mảng: To not dare to show one's face or go near a place.
  • Từ sau lần thất bại, anh ta không dám bén mảng đến công ty nữa. (After the failure, he didn't dare show his face at the company again.)
• Chân không bén đất: Describes moving with extreme haste.
  • Nghe tin, cô ấy chạy đi chân không bén đất. (Upon hearing the news, she ran off as fast as her legs could carry her.)

adj

1. Sharp
   • dao bén
     a sharp knife

verb

1. To touch, to set
   • lúc nào cũng vội vã, chân bước không bén đất
     always in a hurry, he walks so fast that his feet hardly touch the ground
   • nó không dám bén chân đến nhà bạn nó
     he dares not set foot in his friend's house
   • theo bén gót
     to follow someone (as close as) to touch his heels, to follow on someone's heels
2. To catch
   • lửa bén vào mái tranh
     the fire caught the straw roof