Definition

1. Verb:

   • To show off, to flaunt, to sport: To display something ostentatiously in order to attract attention, admiration, or envy.
   • To steam: To cook food by exposing it to steam from boiling water.
   • To distill; to boil down / concentrate: To purify a liquid or extract its essence by heating it to create vapor and then cooling the vapor, or to reduce a liquid by simmering.

2. Preposition (Archaic/Literary):

   • Because of, due to, at: Used in classical or literary contexts to indicate cause or location. Equivalent to "bởi", "vì", or "ở".

Usage Examples

• Verb (To show off):
  • Anh ta thích chưng chiếc đồng hồ đắt tiền của mình. (He likes to show off his expensive watch.)
  • Cô ấy chưng bằng thạc sĩ trong phòng làm việc. (She flaunts her master's degree in her office.)
• Verb (To steam):
  • Mẹ tôi chưng một bát cá cho bữa trưa. (My mother steamed a bowl of fish for lunch.)
• Verb (To distill/boil down):
  • Người ta chưng nước mắm để nó đậm đà hơn. (People boil down fish sauce to make it more concentrated.)
• Preposition (Archaic):
  • "Bởi chưng..." (Because of...)

Advanced Usage

• The meaning "to show off" is often used in a slightly negative or critical sense, implying vanity or unnecessary display.
• The cooking method "chưng" typically involves placing food in a dish, which is then set over (but not directly in) boiling water, often covered.

Variants and Related Words

• Chưng cất (v): To distill (used specifically for processes like distilling alcohol or petroleum).
  • Nhà máy chưng cất rượu từ gạo. (The factory distills alcohol from rice.)
• Chưng hủ tiếu (n): A type of steamed rice noodle dish.
• Bánh chưng (n): A traditional Vietnamese square sticky rice cake, steamed and wrapped in leaves.

Synonyms

• To show off: To flaunt, to parade, to display ostentatiously.
• To steam: To cook with steam.
• To distill: To purify, to refine.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bởi chưng / Vì chưng: (Literary) Because, due to the fact that. This is a fixed phrase using the archaic prepositional form.
  • Bởi chưng tham nhũng, dự án bị đình trệ. (Because of corruption, the project was stalled.)

verb

1. To show off, to sport
   • chưng bộ đồ mới
     to sport a new suit
   • chưng bằng cấp
     to show off one's degree
   • Như trưng
     To boil down
   • chưng nước mắm
     to boil down some fish sauce
2. To distil

từ nối

1. Như ở, tại