Definition

1. Adjective:
   • (Of a voice or sound) Harsh, grating, jangling: Describes a sharp, unpleasant, and often loud sound, typically a voice raised in anger or scolding.
   • (Of literary parallelism) Perfectly symmetrical, rigidly parallel: Describes two phrases, sentences, or verses in poetry or prose that are meticulously balanced in terms of meaning, structure, and sometimes even word count.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Sound/Voice):

  • Bà ấy mắng con bằng giọng chan chát. (She scolded her child in a harsh, jangling voice.)
  • Tiếng kim loại va vào nhau kêu chan chát. (The metal pieces clashed together with a grating sound.)

• Adjective (Literary Parallelism):

  • Hai vế của câu đối này chan chát với nhau. (The two halves of this parallel sentence are perfectly symmetrical.)
  • Nhà thơ sắp xếp ý tứ chan chát trong bài thơ. (The poet arranged the ideas with rigid parallelism in the poem.)

Advanced Usage

• "mắng chan chát": to scold or lash out at someone in a harsh, strident voice.

  • Anh ta bị sếp mắng chan chát vì đi làm muộn. (He was harshly scolded by his boss for being late to work.)

• "đối nhau chan chát": to be in perfect, almost rigid, antithetical or parallel structure.

  • Trong thơ Đường luật, các câu thơ thường đối nhau chan chát. (In regulated Tang poetry, the verses are often in perfect parallel structure.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chát (adj): This is the root word. It primarily means "harsh" or "grating" to the senses (sound, taste like astringency). "Chan chát" is an intensive reduplicative form of "chát."
  • Âm thanh chát chúa (A shrill sound)
  • Vị chát (An astringent taste, e.g., from unripe fruit)

Synonyms

• Lạnh lùng/cứng nhắc (literary): Cold/rigid (for the literary sense of strict form).
• Chói tai: Ear-piercing, shrill (for sound).
• Gắt gỏng: Snappish, irritable (for tone of voice).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Nói giọng chan chát: To speak in a harsh, grating tone.

  • Đừng nói giọng chan chát như thế, nghe khó chịu lắm. (Don't speak in such a harsh tone; it's very unpleasant to hear.)

• Sự đối chan chát: A perfectly balanced parallel structure.

  • Sự đối chan chát trong câu đối thể hiện tài năng của tác giả. (The perfect parallelism in the couplet demonstrates the author's talent.)

1. xem chát

adj

1. (nói về giọng nói) Jangling
   • giọng chan chát
     a jangling voice
   • mắng chan chát vào mặt
     to lash out at somebody in a jangling voice
2. (nói về văn chương đối nhau) Perfectly symmetrical (idea for idea, word for word)
   • hai câu thơ đối nhau chan chát
     two perfectly symmetrical verses