Definitions

1. Adjective:
   • Stingingly hot, pungently spicy: Describes a sensation of sharp, irritating heat, often causing a stinging or prickling feeling, typically on the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes (like the mouth or nose). It emphasizes a harsh, acrid quality beyond simple spiciness.
   • Acrid, biting: Can describe a sharp, unpleasant smell or taste that causes a similar stinging sensation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Hơi ớt bốc lên làm cay sè mắt. (The chili fumes rose up, making my eyes sting.)
  • Món canh chua này có vị cay sè nơi cổ họng. (This sour soup has a stinging, pungent taste in the throat.)
  • Mùi hóa chất trong phòng thật cay sè. (The chemical smell in the room is really acrid.)

Advanced Usage

• "cay sè mũi": to sting the nose (often from strong smells or emotions).
  • Nghe tin ấy, cô ấy cảm thấy cay sè mũi. (Hearing that news, she felt a stinging sensation in her nose [as if about to cry].)
• "cay sè lưỡi": to sting/bite the tongue.
  • Quả ớt này nhỏ nhưng ăn vào cay sè lưỡi. (This chili is small but when eaten, it stings the tongue.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cay xè: A common alternate spelling with the same meaning.
• Cay: (adj) Spicy, hot. This is the root word, while "cay sè" intensifies it to mean a sharp, stinging heat.
• Xè xè: (onomatopoeic/descriptive) Imitative of a sizzling or hissing sound, sometimes used to describe a similar sensation.

Synonyms

• Cay gắt: (adj) Harshly, intensely spicy.
• Cay xốc: (adj) Pungent, sharp, and rising (often for smells or fumes).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• (Cảm thấy) cay sè mặt mày: (to feel) a stinging heat all over one's face (from embarrassment, shame, or spicy food).
  • Bị phát hiện nói dối, anh ta cay sè mặt mày. (Caught lying, he felt a stinging heat of shame all over his face.)

1. (cũng viết) cay xè Stingingly hot