chìm ngập
Definition
- Verb:
- To be submerged, to be engulfed, to be immersed: "chìm ngập" describes the state of being completely covered, overwhelmed, or deeply absorbed in something, often a substance, feeling, or state of mind. It implies a sense of being fully and sometimes helplessly surrounded or consumed.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau cơn bão, nhiều ngôi làng bị chìm ngập trong nước. (After the storm, many villages were submerged in water.)
- Cô ấy chìm ngập trong nỗi buồn sau tin dữ. (She was engulfed in sorrow after the bad news.)
- Nhà khoa học chìm ngập trong nghiên cứu của mình. (The scientist was immersed in his research.)
Advanced Usage
- "chìm ngập trong...": to be drowned/immersed/engulfed in... (a physical or abstract thing).
- Anh ấy chìm ngập trong công việc đến mức quên cả ăn. (He is so immersed in his work that he forgets to eat.)
- Used to describe a state of being completely overtaken, often with a negative or intense connotation.
- Thành phố chìm ngập trong khói bụi. (The city was engulfed in smog.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chìm (verb): to sink, to submerge.
- Con tàu bị chìm. (The ship sank.)
- Ngập (verb): to flood, to be inundated.
- Đường phố ngập nước. (The streets are flooded.)
- Ngập tràn (verb): to be overflowing, to be filled to the brim (often with a more positive connotation than "chìm ngập").
- Căn phòng ngập tràn ánh nắng. (The room is overflowing with sunlight.)
Synonyms
- Bị nhấn chìm: to be sunk, to be submerged.
- Bị bao phủ: to be covered, to be enveloped.
- Đắm chìm: to be engrossed, to be absorbed (often used for abstract concepts like thoughts or emotions).
Related Phrases
- Chìm đắm: to be deeply engrossed or indulged in (often used for emotions or activities, can have a negative connotation of overindulgence).
- Chìm đắm trong men rượu. (To be drowned in alcohol.)
- Ngập lụt: to be flooded (specifically referring to natural disasters with water).
- Mùa mưa, đồng bằng sông Cửu Long thường bị ngập lụt. (During the rainy season, the Mekong Delta is often flooded.)
Related Idioms
- Chìm nổi: (lit. to sink and float) to experience the ups and downs of life.
- Cuộc đời chìm nổi. (A life of vicissitudes.)
- While not an idiom with "chìm ngập" itself, the word is often used in figurative expressions describing being overwhelmed by abstract concepts like sorrow, thought, or luxury, as shown in the examples.