chật cứng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely tight, uncomfortably tight: Describes something (clothing, a space) that fits so tightly it restricts movement or feels stiff and uncomfortable. It emphasizes a state of being overly constricted.
- Packed, crammed full: Describes a space (room, vehicle) that is so full of people or things that it is difficult to move. It emphasizes a state of being overly crowded.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cái áo này chật cứng, tôi không cử động được. (This shirt is extremely tight, I can't move.)
- Căn phòng chật cứng người. (The room is packed with people.)
- Vali chật cứng quần áo. (The suitcase is crammed full of clothes.)
Advanced Usage
- "chật cứng người": packed with people, jam-packed.
- Toa tàu chật cứng người trong giờ cao điểm. (The train carriage is jam-packed during rush hour.)
- "chật cứng đến nghẹt thở": so crowded it's suffocating.
- Hội trường chật cứng đến nghẹt thở. (The hall is so crowded it's suffocating.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chật (adj): tight, narrow, crowded. A more general and common term for tightness or crowdedness.
- Đường phố rất chật. (The streets are very crowded.)
- Cứng (adj): hard, stiff. While part of the compound, its core meaning contributes to the feeling of inflexibility in "chật cứng".
- Chật chội (adj): cramped, confined. Emphasizes a lack of space, often causing discomfort.
- Căn phòng trọ chật chội. (The rented room is cramped.)
- Nghẹt (adj/verb): choked, clogged, extremely crowded. Often used for spaces or traffic.
- Giao thông nghẹt cứng. (The traffic is completely clogged.)
Synonyms
- Chật ních: packed to the brim, crammed full. Very similar in meaning and intensity to "chật cứng".
- Chen chúc: to jostle, to be packed tightly together (often used for people). Focuses on the action within a crowded space.
- Đông nghịt: swarming, teeming with (people). Emphasizes a very large, dense crowd.
Related Phrases
- Chật như nêm: (Idiom) packed like sardines.
- Trong thang máy chật như nêm. (It's packed like sardines in the elevator.)
- Chật kín: completely full, no space left.
- Bãi đỗ xe chật kín. (The parking lot is completely full.)