Definition

1. Verb:
   • To swim: To move through water by using movements of the body, especially the arms and legs.
   • To row: To propel a boat through water using oars or paddles.
   • To struggle, to be swamped/overwhelmed: (colloquial) To work very hard, to be floundering or overwhelmed by a task, often because it is too much or too difficult.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To swim):
  • Tôi thích bơi ở biển. (I like to swim in the sea.)
  • Trẻ em đang học bơi ở hồ bơi. (The children are learning to swim at the swimming pool.)
• Verb (To row):
  • Họ bơi thuyền qua sông. (They row the boat across the river.)
  • Bơi xuồng là một hoạt động thú vị. (Rowing a canoe is a fun activity.)
• Verb (To struggle):
  • Anh ấy đang bơi trong đống tài liệu. (He is struggling/swamped with a pile of documents.)
  • Dự án mới khiến cả nhóm bơi. (The new project has the whole team overwhelmed.)

Advanced Usage

• "bơi trong...": To be drowning in, to be swamped by (figurative).
  • Cô ấy bơi trong công việc. (She is drowning in work.)
• "bơi cho qua": To just barely manage, to struggle through something.
  • Anh ta chỉ cố bơi cho qua kỳ thi. (He just tried to struggle through the exam.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bơi lội (verb/noun): Swimming (as an activity or sport).
  • Bơi lội là môn thể thao tốt cho sức khỏe. (Swimming is a good sport for health.)
• Bể bơi (noun): Swimming pool.
• Người bơi (noun): Swimmer.
• Sự bơi (noun): The act of swimming/rowing.

Synonyms

• Lội (verb): To wade, to ford (often implies moving through shallow water).
• Chèo (verb): To paddle, to row (more specific to using oars).
• Vật lộn (verb): To struggle, to wrestle (general term for struggling).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Bơi vào: To swim/row into; to get into (a difficult situation).
  • Đừng bơi vào chuyện của người khác. (Don't get into other people's business.)
• Bơi ra: To swim/row out.
  • Họ bơi ra khơi. (They rowed out to sea.)

Related Idioms

• Bơi như cá: To swim like a fish (to be a very good swimmer).
  • Cậu bé đó bơi như cá. (That boy swims like a fish.)
• Bơi trong mơ hồ: To be in a fog, to be unclear about something.
  • Tôi hoàn toàn bơi trong mơ hồ về kế hoạch này. (I am completely in the dark about this plan.)

verb

1. To swim
   • tập bơi
     to learn to swim
   • bể bơi
     a swimming pool
2. To row
   • bơi xuồng đi câu
     to row one's canoe and go fishing
3. To struggle
   • bơi trong công tác
     to struggle with one's job