Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Ruffled, disheveled, unkempt: Describes hair, fur, or fibrous materials that are messy, tangled, and standing out in an untidy way.
   • Shaggy, scruffy: Can describe a general appearance of being untidy or not well-groomed.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau khi thức dậy, tóc anh ấy trông rất bù xù. (After waking up, his hair looked very disheveled.)
  • Con mèo bị ướt mưa nên lông bù xù. (The cat got wet in the rain so its fur is all ruffled.)
  • Đừng để đầu tóc bù xù như thế khi đi ra ngoài. (Don't go out with such messy, unkempt hair.)

Advanced Usage

• "đầu tóc bù xù": This is a very common collocation meaning "disheveled hair" or "a messy head of hair."

  • Cô ấy vội đến công ty nên đầu tóc vẫn còn bù xù. (She rushed to the company so her hair was still messy.)

• "bù xù như tổ quạ": An idiomatic simile meaning "as messy as a crow's nest," used to emphasize extreme untidiness, especially of hair.

  • Tóc nó để lâu không cắt, giờ bù xù như tổ quạ. (He hasn't cut his hair for a long time; now it's as shaggy as a crow's nest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bờm xờm (adj): Also means shaggy, scruffy, or unkempt. It is a close synonym, often used interchangeably with "bù xù" for hair or appearance.

  • Cái áo len cũ đã bị bờm xờm. (The old sweater has become shaggy.)

• Xù xì (adj): Rough, coarse (to the touch). While it can describe texture (e.g., rough bark), it is not a direct synonym for the messy visual state described by "bù xù."

Synonyms

• Rối bù (adj): Tangled, matted (often for hair).
• Xù (adj): Frizzy, puffed up. This is a shorter, more casual form.
• Lôi thôi (adj): Sloppy, untidy (in a broader sense, can refer to general appearance or state).

Related Phrases

• Để bù xù: To leave (hair) disheveled.
  • Nó thích để tóc bù xù cho có phong cách. (He likes to leave his hair shaggy for style.)

Related Idioms

• Đầu bù tóc rối: Literally "messy head, tangled hair." This idiom describes a state of extreme disarray in one's hair, often due to being busy, distressed, or just waking up. It is stronger and more vivid than "bù xù" alone.
  • Chăm con nhỏ suốt đêm, sáng ra chị ấy đầu bù tóc rối. (Taking care of the baby all night, she woke up with her hair in a complete mess.)

adj

1. Ruffled
   • đầu tóc bù xù
     a ruffled head of hair
   • tơ kén bù xù
     a cocoon with ruffled silk