bú mớm
Definition
- Verb:
- To breastfeed and hand-feed (an infant); to nurse and spoon-feed: The primary meaning refers to the act of a mother or caregiver feeding a young child, combining breastfeeding with feeding soft or pre-chewed food.
- (Figurative) To nurture, to rear with great care and attention: Used metaphorically to describe the act of raising, educating, or caring for someone with meticulous devotion, often from a very early or foundational stage.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Người mẹ đang bú mớm đứa con nhỏ. (The mother is breastfeeding and hand-feeding her young child.)
- Cô ấy bú mớm đứa trẻ mồ côi như con đẻ. (She nurtured the orphaned child as if it were her own.)
- Ông ấy đã bú mớm cho cậu học trò từ những ngày đầu. (He nurtured his student from the very beginning.)
Advanced Usage
- "bú mớm" in a cultural/figurative context: Often used to emphasize the foundational and painstaking care involved in raising a child or developing a talent, project, or idea from its infancy.
- Công ty này được bú mớm bởi những ý tưởng đổi mới. (This company was nurtured by innovative ideas from its inception.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bú (v): To suckle, to breastfeed.
- Em bé đang bú sữa mẹ. (The baby is breastfeeding.)
- Mớm (v): To put food into someone's mouth (especially a baby or bird); to hand-feed, to spoon-feed.
- Bà mớm cơm cho cháu. (The grandmother spoon-feeds her grandchild.)
- Nuôi nấng (v): To raise, to bring up (a child). A more general synonym.
- Chăm sóc (v): To care for, to look after.
Synonyms
- Nuôi dưỡng: To nourish, to foster.
- Dạy dỗ từ thuở ấu thơ: To educate from a very young age.
- Nâng niu, chăm chút: To cherish and care for attentively.
Related Phrases / Idioms
- "Công cha như núi Thái Sơn, nghĩa mẹ như nước trong nguồn chảy ra. Một lòng thờ mẹ kính cha, cho tròn chữ hiếu mới là đạo con.": This traditional Vietnamese poem (ca dao) reflects the deep cultural value of parental care, of which "bú mớm" is a fundamental part, though the exact phrase is not in the idiom.
- The concept is deeply embedded in the idiom "công ơn sinh thành dưỡng dục" (the debt of gratitude for giving birth, raising, and educating), where "bú mớm" constitutes the core of the "dưỡng" (nurturing) aspect.