Definition

1. Verb:

   • To carry in one's arms: To hold and transport someone, typically a child, by cradling them against one's chest.
   • To swell; to puff up: To become enlarged, rounded, or inflated, often describing hair, fabric, or boiling liquid.
   • To shoot up (in growth): To grow rapidly in height or size, often used for children or plants.

2. Noun:

   • Slender-waisted drum; hourglass-shaped tomtom: A traditional double-headed drum with a narrow middle section.
   • (Archaic) Prow: The front part of a boat or ship.
   • (Archaic/Dialectal) Bag; sack: A pouch made of cloth with a strap.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Mẹ bồng em bé. (The mother carries the baby in her arms.)
  • Nước sôi bồng lên. (The boiling water swells up.)
  • Đứa trẻ lớn bồng. (The child is shooting up in growth.)

• Noun:

  • Tiếng trống bồng vang lên. (The sound of the hourglass drum resonates.)
  • Thuyền chòng chành ở phần bồng. (The boat rocks at the prow.)

Advanced Usage

• "thắt cỏ bồng": An idiom meaning to have a very slender, narrow waist.

  • Cô ấy có dáng người thắt cỏ bồng. (She has a figure with a slender waist.)

• "tay bồng tay bế" / "tay bồng tay mang": Idiomatic phrases describing the state of having to carry and care for many young children.

  • Người mẹ tay bồng tay bế mấy đứa nhỏ. (The mother is carrying and holding several small children.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bồng bế (v): To carry and hold (children); a more emphatic form of carrying in one's arms.

  • Bà ngoại bồng bế các cháu. (The grandmother carries and holds her grandchildren.)

• Bồng bềnh (adj): Floating, bobbing, or swaying gently (like on water).

  • Con thuyền bồng bềnh trên sóng. (The boat bobs on the waves.)

Synonyms

• To carry: To hold and move someone/something.
• To swell: To expand in size.
• Drum: A percussion instrument.

Related Idioms

• Lớn bồng: To grow rapidly (like a sprouting plant).

  • Thằng bé lớn bồng sau một mùa hè. (The boy shot up after one summer.)

• Tóc chải bồng: To wear one's hair in a puffed-up or bouffant style.

  • Phong cách những năm 80 thích tóc chải bồng. (The 80s style liked bouffant hair.)

noun

1. Slender waisted tomtom, hourglass-shaped tomtom
   • thắt cỏ bồng
     to be slender at the waist, to have a slender waist

verb

1. To swell, to puff
   • nước sôi bồng lên
     the boiling water swelled
   • chiếc áo bồng vai
     a puff-sleeved dress
   • tóc chải bồng
     to wear one's hair in puffs, to puff one's hair
   • lớn bồng
     to shoot up
2. To carry in one's arms
   • bồng trẻ dắt già
     to carry the young and guide the old