Definition

Noun: * Spoiled fish, rotten fish, putrid fish: "cá ươn" refers to fish that is no longer fresh, has begun to decompose, and emits an unpleasant odor. It is unfit for consumption.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đừng mua con cá đó, nó đã thành cá ươn rồi. (Don't buy that fish; it has become spoiled fish.)
  • Mùi cá ươn từ thùng rác thật là khó chịu. (The smell of rotten fish from the trash bin is really unpleasant.)
  • Cửa hàng này bán cá ươn cho khách hàng. (This store sells putrid fish to customers.)

Advanced Usage

• Used metaphorically for a bad situation or a failing endeavor: Sometimes used informally to describe a plan or situation that has gone bad or is doomed to fail.
  • Dự án đó giờ đã thành cá ươn, không thể cứu vãn được nữa. (That project has now become a lost cause, it's beyond saving.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cá tươi (noun): Fresh fish. (The direct opposite of "cá ươn").
• Ối, thiu, hỏng (adjectives): Spoiled, rotten. (General adjectives for spoiled food).
• Cá ươn thối (noun phrase): A more emphatic form meaning thoroughly rotten, stinking fish.

Synonyms

• Cá hỏng: Spoiled/bad fish.
• Cá thiu: Rotten fish (often with a sour smell).
• Cá ôi: Spoiled fish (commonly used in Northern Vietnam).

Related Idioms

• Tanh như cá ươn: (To smell) as foul as rotten fish. Used to describe a very strong, unpleasant fishy odor.
  • Căn phòng này tanh như cá ươn. (This room smells as foul as rotten fish.)

noun

1. spoiled fish