Definition

1. 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.