Definition

1. Onomatopoeia / Ideophone:
   • The sound of splashing or wading: "bì bõm" is a word that imitates the light, continuous sound made when moving through water, mud, or a marshy area, such as wading, paddling, or gently slapping the water.

Usage Examples

• Onomatopoeia:
  • Trẻ con bì bõm tắm dưới mưa. (The children splash about while bathing in the rain.)
  • Chúng tôi lội bì bõm qua cánh đồng sau trận mưa. (We waded with a splashing sound through the field after the rain.)
  • Tiếng bì bõm của mái chèo khua nước. (The plashing sound of oars stirring the water.)

Advanced Usage

• "bì bà bì bõm": This is a reduplicated form (láy) of "bì bõm". It emphasizes a greater degree, duration, or intensity of the splashing action, often implying a more laborious, continuous, or extensive effort in the water or mud.
  • Suốt buổi chiều, bác nông dân làm việc bì bà bì bõm ngoài đồng. (All afternoon, the farmer worked, sloshing and splashing around in the field.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lội: (verb) to wade, to ford. Often used together with "bì bõm" to describe the action.
• Paddle / Splash: English verbs that convey a similar action, though "bì bõm" specifically captures the sound.

Synonyms

• Lõm bõm: Another Vietnamese onomatopoeia for a splashing sound, sometimes used interchangeably, though "lõm bõm" might imply a slightly more hollow or deeper sound.
• Ùm bùm: Imitates a louder, more singular splash or plunge into water.

Related Phrases / Collocations

• Lội bì bõm: The most common collocation, meaning "to wade with a splashing sound".
• Tắm bì bõm: To bathe/splash about noisily in water.
• Bơi bì bõm: To swim making a lot of splashing noise (often used for playful or unskilled swimming).

1. With a plashing noise, plashingly
   • lội bì bõm qua thửa ruộng lầy
     to wade through the marshy field with a plashing noise, to splash through the marshy field