Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To stop eating / to skip a meal: The primary meaning of "bỏ ăn" is to voluntarily or involuntarily cease eating, typically for a specific meal or period. It implies not eating when one normally would.
   • To lose one's appetite / to not feel like eating: Often used to describe a temporary lack of desire to eat, frequently due to illness, emotional distress, or other physical conditions.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Em bé đang bị ốm nên bỏ ăn. (The baby is sick, so he/she is not eating.)
  • Cô ấy quá buồn, bỏ ăn mấy ngày liền. (She was so sad that she stopped eating for several days.)
  • Đừng bỏ ăn sáng, nó không tốt cho sức khỏe. (Don't skip breakfast; it's not good for your health.)

Advanced Usage

• "bỏ ăn bỏ uống": to stop eating and drinking; to refuse all sustenance.
  • Bệnh nhân trầm cảm nặng, bỏ ăn bỏ uống. (The patient with severe depression stopped eating and drinking.)

Variants and Related Words

• Biếng ăn (adj): having a poor appetite; picky eater (often used for children).

  • Trẻ lên hai thường hay biếng ăn. (Two-year-olds often have poor appetites.)

• Nhịn ăn (v): to fast; to abstain from eating deliberately, often for health, religious, or protest reasons.

  • Một số người nhịn ăn vì lý do tôn giáo. (Some people fast for religious reasons.)

Synonyms

• Skip a meal: to miss a scheduled meal.
• Lose one's appetite: to have no desire to eat.
• Refuse food: to decline to eat.

Related Idioms

• Bỏ ăn bỏ ngủ: to be so preoccupied or distressed that one neglects eating and sleeping.
  • Anh ấy lo lắng cho dự án đến mức bỏ ăn bỏ ngủ. (He was so worried about the project that he stopped eating and sleeping.)