Definition

1. Noun:
   • A common cold caused by exposure to cold: "cảm hàn" refers to a state of catching a cold, typically due to cold weather, wind, or a chill, characterized by symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, and mild fever.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trời mưa lạnh, cẩn thận kẻo bị cảm hàn. (It's cold and rainy, be careful not to catch a chill.)
  • Anh ấy nghỉ làm vì bị cảm hàn. (He is off work because he has caught a chill.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị cảm hàn": to have caught a chill; to be suffering from a cold.
  • Cháu bé bị cảm hàn nên sốt nhẹ. (The child has a slight fever because he caught a chill.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cảm lạnh (n): common cold. This is a more common and general synonym.
  • Triệu chứng của cảm lạnh và cảm hàn rất giống nhau. (The symptoms of a common cold and "cảm hàn" are very similar.)
• Cảm cúm (n): flu, influenza. This indicates a more severe illness.
• Cảm mạo (n): a literary or formal term for catching a cold.

Synonyms

• Cảm lạnh: common cold.
• Nhiễm lạnh: to catch a chill (more descriptive of the cause).

Notes on Meaning

• "Cảm hàn" specifically emphasizes the cause (exposure to cold/hàn) of the common cold. It is slightly more descriptive than the general term "cảm lạnh," though they are often used interchangeably in modern Vietnamese. The word "hàn" (cold, chill) directly points to the pathogenic factor in traditional medicine concepts.

1. Catch a chill