Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Squatting (sitting position): Describes a posture where one sits with the body low to the ground, typically with the knees bent and the heels close to or under the buttocks, often giving an impression of being hunched or curled up.
   • Huddled, curled up: Can also describe a posture where one sits in a small, compact, or self-protective manner, as if trying to take up less space or feel secure.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa trẻ ngồi chỏn hỏn trên sàn nhà. (The child is squatting on the floor.)
  • Cô ấy ngồi chỏn hỏn trong góc, trông rất nhỏ bé. (She sat huddled in the corner, looking very small.)
  • Anh ta cứ ngồi chỏn hỏn trên chiếc ghế thấp ấy. (He kept sitting squatting on that low stool.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngồi chỏn hỏn": This is the most common collocation, directly meaning "to sit in a squatting/huddled position."
  • Nó thích ngồi chỏn hỏn xem tivi hơn là ngồi trên ghế sofa. (He prefers to sit squatting while watching TV rather than sitting on the sofa.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chồm hổm (adj): A near-synonym more commonly used to mean "squatting" in a literal, physical sense.
  • Ngồi chồm hổm (to squat down).
• Co ro (adj): Describes shivering or huddling due to cold or fear, sharing the connotation of making oneself small.
  • Ngồi co ro trong chăn (to sit huddled under a blanket).

Synonyms

• Ngồi xổm: To squat (often implies a more active, temporary squatting position).
• Thu mình: To curl up, to shrink oneself (focuses more on the protective or shrinking aspect).

Notes on Meaning

• The word "chỏn hỏn" vividly depicts a specific, somewhat inelegant sitting posture. It often carries a nuance of being low, compact, and sometimes childlike, uncomfortable, or trying to be inconspicuous. It is not typically used for formal or relaxed sitting.
• While the core meaning relates to a squatting posture, the additional nuance from the Vietnamese-French reference ("blotti" meaning ) confirms its use to describe a curled-up, self-contained sitting position, not just the act of squatting down.

adj

1. Squatting (sitting position)
   • ngồi chỏn hỏn trên ghế
     to be squatting on a chair