bàu bạu
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Frowning, scowling: Describes a facial expression showing displeasure, anger, or deep thought, characterized by contracted eyebrows and a tightened mouth.
Usage
- "Bàu bạu" is used to describe someone's facial expression. It is often used with words like "mặt" (face) to form the common phrase "mặt bàu bạu" (a frowning/scowling face).
- It describes a temporary state or mood, not a permanent characteristic.
- Style/Register: This word is common in spoken and descriptive written Vietnamese. It is neutral but can carry a slightly informal or vivid tone.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sao anh lại bàu bạu thế? Có chuyện gì à? (Why are you scowling like that? Is something wrong?)
- Cô ấy bước vào phòng với khuôn mặt bàu bạu. (She entered the room with a frowning face.)
- Đừng có bàu bạu với tôi! (Don't scowl at me!)
Advanced Usage
- "bàu bạu" can sometimes imply a sulky or sullen mood beyond just the physical expression.
- Nó ngồi một góc, mặt bàu bạu cả buổi. (He sat in a corner with a sulky face all afternoon.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bặm trợn (adj): Describes a fierce, grim, or menacing facial expression, often stronger than "bàu bạu".
- Cau có (adj): Frowning, looking annoyed or irritable. Very similar in meaning and usage to "bàu bạu".
- Nhăn nhó (adj): Making a face, grimacing (often due to pain or distaste). Can overlap with "bàu bạu" but is more about contorting the face.
- Cáu kỉnh (adj): Irritable, grumpy. Refers more to the irritable mood itself rather than specifically the facial expression.
Synonyms
- Cau mày: To frown (literally "to contract eyebrows").
- Nhíu mày: To knit/furrow one's brows.
- Cáu gắt: To be irritable/snappy.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Mặt bàu như bí: (Idiom) Literally "face as swollen as a gourd", meaning to have a very sullen, pouting, or swollen (from anger) face. This is a more vivid and figurative expression than "mặt bàu bạu".
- Frowning, scowling
- Mặt bàu bạtFrowning face