Definition

1. Verb:

   • To swarm (around/over): To gather and cling densely around something, typically used for insects like flies or bees.
   • To crowd around, to mob: For people, to gather closely and persistently around someone or something, often with a negative connotation of being intrusive or troublesome.

2. Noun (Archaic/Regional):

   • Collar: The part of a shirt, jacket, or coat that fits around the neck.
   • Pocket: A pouch sewn into clothing, especially on a jacket.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Bị ong bâu. (To be swarmed over by bees.)
  • Đám đông hiếu kỳ bâu lấy người nổi tiếng. (The curious crowd mobbed the celebrity.)
• Noun:
  • Cái áo có bâu cứng. (The shirt has a stiff collar.)
  • Anh ta để ví trong bâu áo khoác. (He keeps his wallet in his jacket pocket.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "bâu" often implies an unwelcome, persistent, or parasitic attraction, similar to flies drawn to something rotten.
• The nominal meanings (collar, pocket) are considered old-fashioned or dialectal in modern Vietnamese and are rarely used in everyday speech today.

Variants and Related Words

• Bám (v): To cling, to stick to. A more common and general synonym for the physical action.
• Xúm lại (v): To gather around, to crowd around. A common colloquial phrase for people gathering.
• Cổ áo (n): Collar. The standard modern word for "collar".
• Túi áo (n): Pocket. The standard modern word for "pocket".

Synonyms

• Swarm: (for insects) To move in or form a large, dense group.
• Cluster: To come together in a group.
• Mob: (for people) To crowd around excitedly or in a disorderly way.

Related Idioms

• Máu chảy đến đâu, ruồi bâu đến đó.
  • Literal: Wherever blood flows, flies swarm there.
  • Meaning: Trouble or misfortune attracts more problems or unsavory elements. Similar to "Misery loves company" or indicating opportunistic behavior.

verb

1. To swarm round, to swarm over
   • bị ong bâu
     to be swarmed over by bees
   • máu chảy đến đâu ruồi bâu đến đó
     as blood oozes out, flies swarm in
2. To crowd about, to mob
   • đoàn người hiếu kỳ chen nhau bâu kín, lấp cả lối đi
     a jostling group of curious onlookers crowded about and blocked the way

noun

1. Collar (of jacket)
2. Pocket (of jacket)