Definition

Adjective/Verb phrase: - To sink completely and irrecoverably; to be utterly submerged or swallowed up: Describes an object sinking straight down to the bottom of a body of water, disappearing from view without a trace. It often implies a sudden, total, and final sinking. - To fail completely and disappear; to be overwhelmed: Used metaphorically to describe a person, project, or idea failing utterly, being buried, or disappearing without hope of recovery.

Usage Examples

• Literal usage (sinking):

  • Chiếc tàu đắm đã chìm nghỉm xuống đáy biển. (The shipwreck sank completely to the ocean floor.)
  • Cục đá ném xuống hồ chìm nghỉm ngay lập tức. (The rock thrown into the lake sank like a stone immediately.)

• Figurative usage (failure/overwhelm):

  • Dự án kinh doanh của họ đã chìm nghỉm sau sáu tháng. (Their business project went under completely after six months.)
  • Anh ấy chìm nghỉm trong đống nợ nần. (He was swallowed up by a mountain of debt.)

Advanced Usage

• "chìm nghỉm trong quên lãng": to sink into oblivion; to be completely forgotten.

  • Nhiều phát minh quan trọng đã chìm nghỉm trong quên lãng. (Many important inventions have sunk into oblivion.)

• "chìm nghỉm dưới đáy": to lie sunken at the bottom.

  • Xác tàu vẫn còn chìm nghỉm dưới đáy vịnh. (The ship's wreckage is still lying sunken at the bottom of the bay.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chìm (verb): to sink, to submerge.

  • Chiếc lá chìm dần. (The leaf sank slowly.)

• Nghỉm (descriptive particle): This is an intensifying word often paired with "chìm" to emphasize totality and finality. It is rarely used alone in modern Vietnamese.

Synonyms

• Chìm xuồng: to sink (like a boat).
• Đắm chìm: to be immersed, to be submerged (can be literal or figurative).
• Bị nhấn chìm: to be drowned, to be engulfed.

Related Phrases

• Chìm nổi: (lit. sink and float) to experience ups and downs, vicissitudes of life.
  • Cuộc đời có lúc chìm nổi. (Life has its ups and downs.)

Related Idioms

• Chìm xuồng lặn mất tăm: to sink and disappear without a trace; to vanish completely.
  • Sau vụ scandal, ngôi sao đó đã chìm xuồng lặn mất tăm. (After the scandal, that star sank and vanished without a trace.)

1. To sink deep