Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Boring, dull, uninteresting: Describes something that fails to hold interest or attention, causing weariness or lack of enjoyment.
   • Fed up, tired of, sick of: Describes a state of emotional or mental fatigue and dissatisfaction from prolonged exposure to something undesirable.
   • (Colloquial) Many, a lot: Used informally to emphasize a large quantity or degree.

2. Verb (used with 'thấy', 'cảm thấy'):

   • To be bored, to be fed up, to be sick of: To experience a feeling of weariness, dissatisfaction, or lack of interest.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Bộ phim này chán quá. (This movie is so boring.)
  • Tôi chán công việc lặp đi lặp lại này rồi. (I am fed up with this repetitive job.)
  • Ở đây còn chán người muốn giúp đỡ. (There are still a lot of people here who want to help.)

• Verb:

  • Tôi thấy chán khi phải chờ đợi. (I feel bored when I have to wait.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy chán nản với cuộc sống hàng ngày. (She feels weary of daily life.)

Advanced Usage

• Chán đến mang tai / Chán ngấy: To be utterly fed up, to be sick to death of something. This idiom intensifies the feeling of boredom or disgust.

  • Tôi chán đến mang tai những lời hứa suông của anh ta. (I am sick to death of his empty promises.)

• Chán như cơm nếp nát: (As boring/disgusting as) mushy glutinous rice. A vivid simile describing something extremely boring or unappealing.

  • Buổi họp chán như cơm nếp nát. (The meeting was as dull as dishwater.)

• Chán chường: A compound word expressing deep weariness, dejection, or world-weariness.

  • Anh ấy có vẻ chán chường với mọi thứ. (He seems disillusioned and weary with everything.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chán nản (adj/verb): Discouraged, disheartened; to feel dispirited. Often used for a deeper sense of disappointment and loss of motivation.

  • Sau nhiều lần thất bại, cô ấy trở nên chán nản. (After many failures, she became disheartened.)

• Chán ghét (verb): To detest, to loathe. Combines boredom with active dislike or hatred.

  • Tôi chán ghét sự giả dối. (I detest hypocrisy.)

• Chan chán (adj, reduplicated form): Slightly boring, a bit tedious. The reduplication softens the intensity.

  • Công việc chan chán nhưng vẫn phải làm. (The work is a bit tedious but still must be done.)

Synonyms

• Nhàm chán (adj): Tedious, monotonous.
• Ngán (adj/verb): To be sick of (often related to food or overindulgence); to dread.
• Mệt mỏi (adj): Tired, weary (can be physical or mental).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Phát chán: To become extremely bored or fed up. 'Phát' adds a sense of reaching a breaking point.
  • Nghe bài hát đó nhiều lần tôi phát chán. (Hearing that song so many times, I got utterly bored.)

Related Idioms

• Chán cơm thèm phở: Literally "bored of rice, craving pho". Means to be tired of the familiar and desire something new.

  • Anh ấy chán cơm thèm phở, muốn tìm một công việc mới. (He's bored with the old routine and wants a change, looking for a new job.)

• Chán như con gián: (As bored as) a cockroach. A colloquial simile for extreme boredom.

  • Ngồi một mình ở nhà, chán như con gián. (Sitting home alone, bored out of my mind.)

verb

1. To be satiated with, to be tired of
   • chán thịt mỡ
     to be satiated with fat meat
   • ngủ đến chán mắt
     to have slept oneself to satiety, to have slept one's heart content
   • cảnh đẹp như tranh, mắt nhìn không chán
     the landscape was as beautiful as a painting, so their eyes were not tired of looking at it
2. To be disgusted with
   • chán cuộc sống dễ dàng nhưng quá buồn tẻ
     to be disgusted with such an easy but too humdrum life
   • chán đến mang tai
     to be fed up with

adj

1. Dull
   • vở kịch ấy chán quá