Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cooked to perfection / done to a turn: Refers to food, especially rice or grains, that is cooked exactly right—fully cooked through but not overcooked, mushy, or burnt. It implies an ideal state of doneness.
   • Ripe to perfection: Can describe fruit that is perfectly ripe, neither underripe nor overripe.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nồi cơm này chín tới, hạt cơm dẻo và thơm. (This pot of rice is cooked to perfection; the grains are sticky and fragrant.)
  • Quả xoài này chín tới, ngọt vừa phải. (This mango is ripe to perfection; it's sweet just right.)
  • Món thịt nướng cần được nấu chín tới, bên ngoài giòn bên trong mềm. (The grilled meat needs to be done to a turn, crispy outside and tender inside.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used metaphorically to describe an idea, plan, or situation that has developed fully and is ready for implementation, similar to "ripe" or "coming to a head" in English.
  • Kế hoạch đã chín tới, chúng ta có thể bắt đầu. (The plan has come to fruition; we can begin.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chín (adj): ripe; cooked.

  • Trái cây chín. (Ripe fruit.)
  • Thịt chín. (Cooked meat.)

• Chín muồi (adj): fully ripe; mature (often used for abstract concepts like conditions, opportunities).

  • Thời cơ đã chín muồi. (The opportunity is ripe.)

Synonyms

• Perfectly cooked: Food that is done ideally.
• Perfectly ripe: Fruit at its peak ripeness.
• Done to a turn: Cooked exactly right.

Related Idioms

• Chín bỏ làm mười: An idiom about forgiveness, meaning to round down nine to ten, or to be magnanimous and let small faults go. While it contains "chín," its meaning is distinct from "chín tới."
  • Trong cuộc sống, đôi khi cần biết chín bỏ làm mười. (In life, sometimes you need to know how to be forgiving.)