bề sề
Definition
- Adjective:
- Bulky and flabby: Describes a person or object that is both large in size and appears loose, soft, and lacking firmness, often implying an ungraceful or cumbersome appearance.
- Corpulent and heavy: Specifically refers to a person who is fat, pot-bellied, and moves with a certain heaviness or clumsiness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau khi sinh con, cô ấy trông hơi bề sề. (After giving birth, she looked somewhat bulky and flabby.)
- Chiếc ghế sofa cũ trông rất bề sề trong phòng nhỏ. (The old sofa looked very bulky and cumbersome in the small room.)
- Ông ấy có dáng người bề sề, đi lại chậm chạp. (He has a corpulent and heavy build, moving slowly.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "bề sề" often carries a mildly negative or informal connotation, describing an unaesthetic, sagging, or unwieldy bulkiness. It is more evocative and colloquial than neutral terms like "to" (big).
Variants and Related Words
- Béo sề (adj): A common variant combining "béo" (fat) and "sề," emphasizing fatness with a sagging quality.
- Con lợn nái béo sề nằm dưới gốc cây. (The saggingly fat sow lay under the tree.)
Synonyms
- Bulky: Of large size and mass.
- Flabby: Soft, loose, and lacking firmness.
- Corpulent: Fat, especially around the stomach.
- Cumbersome: Large and heavy, therefore awkward.
Related Idioms
- While "bề sề" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its meaning contributes to descriptive phrases about appearance.
- Ăn mặc bề sề: To dress in a way that looks bulky and unshapely.
- Mặc chiếc áo khoác rộng thùng thình, trông anh ta ăn mặc thật bề sề. (Wearing that baggy coat, he dressed in a very bulky and unshapely way.)