Definition

1. Verb:
   • To chop up (into very small bits): To cut or mince food, especially meat or vegetables, into very fine, small pieces, often using a knife or a specialized tool like a meat grinder or food processor.

Usage

• The verb bằm is used to describe the action of making something into very small pieces. It implies a finer result than the more general verb băm (to chop).
• It is commonly used in cooking instructions.
• It is often followed by the object being chopped.
• Example structure: bằm + [food item].

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy bằm thịt heo để làm giò sống. (She minced the pork to make raw pork paste.)
  • Hãy bằm nhuyễn hành và tỏi trước khi phi thơm. (Please finely chop the onion and garlic before sautéing them until fragrant.)
  • Thịt bằm thường được dùng để làm nhân bánh bao. (Minced meat is often used as filling for steamed buns.)

Advanced Usage

• "bằm nhuyễn": To mince or chop into a paste-like consistency.
  • Bạn cần bằm nhuyễn thịt để làm chả lụa. (You need to mince the meat finely to make Vietnamese pork loaf.)
• The result of the action can be referred to as thịt bằm (minced meat) or rau bằm (chopped vegetables), but these are compound nouns, not the verb itself.

Variants and Related Words

• Băm (verb): To chop, to hack. This is a more general term for cutting into pieces, which can be larger than bằm.
  • Anh ấy băm củi ở ngoài vườn. (He is chopping firewood in the garden.)
• Thái (verb): To slice. This refers to cutting into thin, flat pieces, not small bits.
• Xay (verb): To grind (e.g., in a blender or mill). This often results in an even finer or paste-like consistency than bằm.

Synonyms

• Chặt nhỏ: To chop small.
• Băm nhỏ: To chop finely (a closer synonym, but bằm often implies an even finer texture).

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and most common meaning of bằm is the culinary action of mincing or finely chopping.
• As noted in the reference, in some dialects, bằm is used interchangeably with băm, but in standard usage, especially in cooking, bằm specifies a finer result.

verb

1. To chop up (into very small bits)