Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Froth, foam, bubbles: Refers to the light, airy mass of small bubbles formed on the surface of a liquid, especially water. It is often used literally.
   • Something trivial, insignificant, or ephemeral: Used metaphorically to describe things that are worthless, fleeting, or of little substance and importance, easily disappearing or being destroyed.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (foam, bubbles):

  • Sóng đánh tạo ra nhiều bọt bèo trên mặt biển. (The waves crashing created a lot of foam on the sea surface.)
  • Cốc bia này có quá nhiều bọt bèo. (This glass of beer has too much froth.)

• Metaphorical meaning (trivial, ephemeral):

  • Đối với anh ấy, tiền bạc chỉ là thứ bọt bèo. (To him, money is just something trivial/ephemeral.)
  • Những lời hứa bọt bèo ấy chẳng có giá trị gì. (Those empty promises are worthless.)

Advanced Usage

• "coi như bọt bèo" / "xem như bọt bèo": To regard/consider something as worthless or insignificant.

  • Anh ta coi mọi lời chỉ trích như bọt bèo. (He considers all criticism as insignificant.)

• "cuộc đời bọt bèo": A fleeting/transient/ephemeral life.

  • Triết lý đó nói về cuộc đời bọt bèo của con người. (That philosophy speaks of the transient nature of human life.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bèo bọt: This is a common variant with the same meaning and usage as "bọt bèo". It emphasizes the combined concept of triviality and ephemerality.
  • Công sức của chúng tôi đâu phải là thứ bèo bọt. (Our efforts are not something trivial.)

Synonyms

• Phù du (n): Mayfly; used metaphorically for something extremely short-lived and ephemeral.
• Vô giá trị (adj): Worthless, valueless.
• Nhất thời (adj): Temporary, transient.

Related Idioms

• "Bèo dạt mây trôi": Literally "duckweed drifts, clouds float"; used to describe a precarious, rootless, and uncertain life, drifting without control. This idiom shares the metaphorical sense of instability and lack of substance found in "bọt bèo".
  • Sau chiến tranh, cuộc sống của họ như bèo dạt mây trôi. (After the war, their life was precarious and rootless.)