chết ngạt
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To die from asphyxiation/suffocation: To die due to a severe lack of oxygen or an inability to breathe, often caused by being in a space without air, by smoke, or by something covering the nose and mouth.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Nhiều người đã chết ngạt trong vụ hỏa hoạn. (Many people died from suffocation in the fire.)
- Đừng bịt mũi nó, đứa bé có thể chết ngạt! (Don't cover its nose, the baby could suffocate!)
- Cá chết ngạt vì nước hồ bị ô nhiễm nặng. (The fish died from asphyxiation because the lake water was heavily polluted.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase can be used figuratively to describe a feeling of being stifled or overwhelmed in a non-physical sense.
- Tôi cảm thấy sắp chết ngạt trong mối quan hệ này. (I feel like I'm suffocating in this relationship.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngạt (adj/verb): To be suffocated; to feel stifled.
- Căn phòng kín làm tôi ngạt thở. (The airtight room makes me feel suffocated.)
- Ngạt thở (verb phrase): To suffocate; to be unable to breathe.
- Tử vong vì ngạt khí (noun phrase): Death by gas inhalation.
Synonyms
- To suffocate: To die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.
- To asphyxiate: A more technical term for dying from a lack of oxygen.
Related Idioms
- Chết ngạt vì...: Often used to emphasize an overwhelming abundance of something non-physical.
- Chúng tôi chết ngạt vì công việc giấy tờ. (We are drowning/swamped in paperwork.)