che miệng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To cover one's mouth: Literally, to physically place a hand or object over one's own or someone else's mouth.
- To silence, to hush up, to prevent talk/commentary: Figuratively, to take action to stop someone from speaking, revealing information, or to prevent gossip and public discussion about something.
Usage Examples
Literal (to cover one's mouth):
- Cô bé che miệng khi cười. (The little girl covers her mouth when she laughs.)
- Anh ấy che miệng đứa trẻ để nó không la lên. (He covered the child's mouth so it wouldn't scream.)
Figurative (to silence, to hush up):
- Công ty cố gắng che miệng vụ bê bối. (The company tried to hush up the scandal.)
- Họ dùng tiền để che miệng các nhân chứng. (They used money to silence the witnesses.)
Advanced Usage
- "Che miệng thế gian / che miệng thiên hạ": A common idiomatic expression meaning "to silence public opinion" or "to stop the world from talking." It implies an attempt to prevent society or everyone from gossiping or criticizing.
- Hành động đó chỉ càng khiến dư luận thêm phẫn nộ, không thể che miệng thế gian được. (That action only made public opinion more furious; you cannot silence the world.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bịt miệng (v): To gag, to muzzle. Often used interchangeably with the figurative meaning of "che miệng" but can imply more forceful physical prevention of speech.
- Im lặng (v/n): To be silent / silence.
- Bưng bít (v): To cover up, to conceal (information, often on a larger scale).
Synonyms
- Bịt miệng: To gag, to muzzle.
- Bắt im lặng: To force to be silent.
- Ngăn chặn lời đồn: To stop rumors.
Related Phrases / Idioms
- "Che miệng thế gian": As explained in Advanced Usage, this is the primary idiom, emphasizing the futile attempt to stop widespread gossip or criticism.