Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Overripe to the point of being mushy or rotten: Describes fruit or other soft produce that has ripened excessively, becoming soft, discolored, and often starting to decompose. It implies a state beyond ideal ripeness, where the texture is unpleasantly soft or liquefying.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Những quả chuối này đã chín rữa, không ăn được nữa. (These bananas are overripe and mushy, they are no longer edible.)
  • Trời nóng khiến trái cây chín rữa rất nhanh. (The hot weather causes fruit to become overripe and rotten very quickly.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used metaphorically to describe something that is overly sentimental, cloying, or decadent to the point of being unpleasant.
  • Câu chuyện tình cảm ấy nghe có vẻ chín rữa. (That romantic story sounds overly sentimental and cloying.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chín muồi (adj): fully ripe, mature (positive connotation).
  • Trái xoài đã chín muồi, thơm ngọt. (The mango is fully ripe, fragrant and sweet.)
• Thối rữa (adj): rotten, putrid (stronger, more general term for decay).
  • Rác hữu cơ bị thối rữa. (The organic garbage is rotten.)

Synonyms

• Overripe: ripened beyond the point of good quality.
• Mushy: soft and pulpy.
• Rotten: decomposing or decaying.

Related Idioms

• While not a common idiom itself, the state of "chín rữa" is often associated with the idea of something being past its prime or having gone too far.