chàm đổ
Definition
- Idiom:
- A face as blue/green as spilled indigo: Describes a face that has turned an unnatural, sickly, or pale bluish-green color, typically due to extreme fear, shock, illness, or exhaustion. It vividly conveys a severe loss of healthy complexion.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Nghe tin dữ, mặt anh ta tái nhợt, chàm đổ. (Hearing the bad news, his face turned pale, as blue as spilled indigo.)
- Sau trận ốm nặng, cô ấy trông chàm đổ. (After the serious illness, she looked ashen, like spilled indigo.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is primarily used in literary or descriptive contexts to emphasize a dramatic and unhealthy change in facial color. It is not used for slight changes in complexion.
Variants and Related Words
- Tái mét (adj): deathly pale.
- Mặt cô ấy tái mét vì sợ hãi. (Her face was deathly pale from fear.)
- Xanh lét (adj): ghastly green/blue (from fear or sickness).
- Đứa bé sốt cao, mặt xanh lét. (The child had a high fever and a ghastly pale face.)
Synonyms
- Ghastly pale: extremely pale and ill-looking.
- Ashen-faced: having a very pale gray face, typically due to shock or illness.
- Livid: having a discolored, bluish appearance, often from bruising or intense emotion.
Related Idioms
- Mặt tái như vải: face as pale as cloth.
- Cô ấy hốt hoảng, mặt tái như vải. (She was panicked, her face as pale as cloth.)
- Mặt xanh như tàu lá: face as green as a plant leaf.
- Say sóng, mặt anh ấy xanh như tàu lá. (Seasick, his face was as green as a leaf.)