Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Sour, Acidic: Having a sharp, tart, or acidic taste, like that of a lemon, lime, or vinegar.
   • Acidic (of soil): Describing land that has a high acid content, often infertile.
   • Sour (of smell): Having the sharp smell of fermentation, like vinegar or spoiled food.
   • Harsh, Sharp (of voice or words): Describing a voice that is shrill and unpleasant, or speech that is biting, sarcastic, or caustic.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To annotate, To add a clarifying note: To provide an explanation or note to make something clearer.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Trái chanh này rất chua. (This lemon is very sour.)
  • Vùng đất này đồng chua nước mặn. (This region has acidic fields and saltwater.)
  • Sữa để lâu có mùi chua. (Milk left out for long has a sour smell.)
  • Cô ấy nói với giọng rất chua. (She spoke in a very harsh/sharp voice.)

• Verb:

  • Giáo viên chua nghĩa của từ mới trong ngoặc đơn. (The teacher annotated the meaning of the new word in parentheses.)

Advanced Usage

• "chua ngoa": (adjective) Describes a person, especially a woman, who is sharp-tongued, shrewish, or has a biting, sarcastic manner of speaking.

  • Bà ta nổi tiếng là tính tình chua ngoa. (She is famous for having a sharp-tongued personality.)

• "chua xót": (adjective) Describes a feeling of bitter sorrow, poignant grief, or painful regret.

  • Câu chuyện đó thật chua xót. (That story is truly heartbreaking.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chanh chua (adj): Literally "sour like a lemon"; figuratively used to describe sarcastic, biting, or jealous speech or behavior.

  • Lời bình luận của cô ấy hơi chanh chua. (Her comment was a bit sarcastic/biting.)

• Chua cay (adj): Bitter and sour; describes a taste or, metaphorically, harsh and painful experiences or feelings.

  • Anh ấy đã nếm trải những kinh nghiệm chua cay. (He has tasted bitter experiences.)

Synonyms

• Sour, Tart, Acidic: For taste.
• Acrid, Pungent: For smell.
• Shrill, Strident: For voice.
• Caustic, Mordant, Sarcastic: For speech.
• Annotate, Gloss: For the verb form.

Related Idioms

• Chua như giấm: As sour as vinegar. Used to describe something extremely sour in taste or a very sharp, unpleasant disposition.

  • Món dưa muối này chua như giấm. (This pickled vegetables dish is as sour as vinegar.)

• Chua như mẻ: As sour as fermented rice. Used to describe a very sour taste or an extremely shrill, grating voice.

  • Giọng của bà ta chua như mẻ. (Her voice is as shrill as fermented rice.)

verb

1. To make clear with a note
   • chua nghĩa trong ngoặc
     to make clear the meaning with a note between brackets

adj

1. Sour, acid, vinegary
   • chua như chanh
     sour like lemon
   • chua như bỗng rượu
     vinegary like fermented distiller's grains
2. Aluminous
   • đồng chua nước mặn
     aluminous fields and salt water
3. Harsh, sharp
   • giọng chua như mẻ
     a very harsh voice
4. Tough