Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Tattered, torn to shreds: "bươm" describes something that is severely torn, ragged, or in tatters, often referring to fabric or clothing.

Usage

• "Bươm" is primarily used as an adjective following the main noun it modifies, often in the fixed phrase "rách bươm."
• It intensifies the state of being torn, implying it is not just slightly damaged but completely shredded.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Quần áo của cậu bé đã rách bươm sau trận chơi. (The boy's clothes were torn to shreds after the game.)
  • Lá cờ cũ bay phấp phới, đã bị gió xé bươm. (The old flag fluttered, tattered by the wind.)

Advanced Usage

• "rách bươm": torn to shreds, in tatters. This is the most common collocation.
  • Chiếc áo sau nhiều năm sử dụng giờ đã rách bươm. (The shirt, after many years of use, is now in tatters.)
• "xé bươm": to tear (something) to shreds.
  • Con chó đã xé bươm tờ báo. (The dog tore the newspaper to shreds.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rách (adj): torn, ripped. This is the base word, while "bươm" acts as an intensifier.
• Tả tơi (adj): tattered, ragged. A close synonym often describing a similarly severe state of disrepair.

Synonyms

• Tattered: worn and torn.
• Shredded: torn into long, thin pieces.
• In ribbons: torn into strips.

Notes

• "Bươm" is almost never used alone in modern Vietnamese; it is almost exclusively found in the compound forms "rách bươm" or "xé bươm." Its function is to emphasize the extreme degree of tearing.

adj

1. Tattered
   • rách bươm
     torn to shreds, tattered
   • xé bươm
     to tear to shreds