Definition

Verb: 1. To grip tightly with the fingertips: To hold onto something firmly by hooking one's fingers into it or around it, often for support or to prevent falling. 2. To pinch (skin or flesh): To squeeze a small amount of skin or soft material between the tips of the fingers and thumb, often causing a brief, sharp pain. 3. To nip/take a pinch of (food): To take a small amount of a soft, pliable substance (like food) by pinching it off with the fingers.

Usage Examples

• To grip tightly:
  • Cô ấy bấu chặt vào tay vịn cầu thang. (She gripped the stair railing tightly.)
  • Đứa trẻ sợ hãi bấu vào áo mẹ. (The frightened child clung to her mother's shirt.)
• To pinch:
  • Đừng bấu vào tay bạn như thế! (Don't pinch your friend's arm like that!)
  • Bà ngoại thường bấu má tôi một cách âu yếm. (My grandmother used to pinch my cheek affectionately.)
• To nip/take a pinch:
  • Anh ấy bấu một miếng bột để thử. (He nipped off a piece of dough to test it.)
  • Cô ấy bấu một ít cơm nắm cho chim ăn. (She took a pinch of rice to feed the birds.)

Advanced Usage

• "bấu víu": To clutch or cling desperately. This emphasizes a frantic or desperate gripping action.
  • Người leo núi bấu víu vào sợi dây duy nhất. (The climber clung desperately to the only rope.)
• "bấu xé": To scratch and claw (at someone/something). This implies a more violent, tearing action, often in a fight or struggle.
  • Hai con mèo bấu xé nhau. (The two cats scratched and clawed at each other.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cấu (verb): A near-synonym, often used interchangeably with for meanings 2 (to pinch) and 3 (to nip off). It can sometimes imply a sharper, more twisting pinch.
• Bám (verb): To cling, to adhere. This is a broader term for holding on and does not specify the use of fingertips.
• Víu (verb): To clutch, to grab hold of. Often used in combination with .

Synonyms

• To grip: Nắm chặt, giữ chặt.
• To pinch: Nhéo, véo.
• To cling: Bám, díu.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• bấu vào: To grip onto, to clutch at.
  • Trong cơn hoảng loạn, anh ta bấu vào bất cứ thứ gì gần đó. (In his panic, he clutched at anything nearby.)

Related Idioms

• Bấu chíu: (Informal) To be overly clingy or dependent on someone.
  • Đứa trẻ mới đi học hay bấu chíu lấy mẹ. (The child just starting school is often clingy to his mother.)
• Chân bấm tay bâu (or Chân bấm tay bấu): An idiom describing the action of climbing or scrambling using hands and feet to grip onto surfaces.
  • Nó leo lên cây theo kiểu chân bấm tay bâu. (He climbed the tree by scrambling and gripping with his hands and feet.)

verb

1. To hold fast to with one's fingers
   • bấu vào kẽ đá để trèo lên
     to climb up by holding fast to the crevices with one's fingers
2. To pinch
   • bấu má ai
     to pinch somebody's cheeks
3. To nip off
   • bấu một miếng xôi
     to nip off a bite of sticky rice