Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Huddled, hunched, curled up: Describes the physical posture of a person or animal who has drawn their limbs in close to their body, often due to cold, fear, or a desire to occupy less space.
   • Shriveled, shrunken: Can describe something that has become smaller, contracted, or withered, often due to age or cold.

2. Verb (to act in a 'co ro' manner):

   • To huddle (oneself) up, to crouch, to stoop: The action of curling or shrinking one's body into a small, tight shape.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Đứa trẻ ngồi co ro trong góc phòng vì sợ. (The child sat huddled in the corner of the room out of fear.)
  • Nhìn thân hình co ro của bà cụ, tôi thấy rất thương. (Looking at the old woman's shriveled body, I felt great pity.)

• Verb:

  • Nó co ro người lại để tránh cái lạnh. (He huddled himself up to avoid the cold.)
  • Con mèo co ro bên lò sưởi. (The cat curled up by the fireplace.)

Advanced Usage

• "co ro trong xó nhà / góc phố": To huddle or be stuck in a corner of the house/street. This phrase often implies poverty, misery, or being forgotten and isolated.

  • Ông lão ăn xin sống co ro trong một góc phố. (The old beggar lived huddled in a street corner.)

• "co ro vì rét / giá rét": To huddle or shiver due to the cold/chilly wind. Emphasizes the cause of the action.

  • Những người vô gia cư co ro vì rét dưới cầu. (The homeless people huddled against the cold under the bridge.)

Variants and Related Words

• Co lại (verb): To shrink, to contract. A more general term for something becoming smaller.
  • Vải này giặt sẽ co lại một chút. (This fabric will shrink a bit when washed.)
• Rúm ró (adjective): Wrinkled, crumpled. Often used for surfaces like skin or paper, implying many small folds.
  • Tờ giấy bị vò rúm ró. (The paper was crumpled into a wrinkled ball.)
• Thu mình (verb): To withdraw into oneself, to make oneself small. Can be both physical and psychological (e.g., shyness).
  • Cô ấy thu mình lại khi thấy đám đông. (She withdrew into herself when she saw the crowd.)

Synonyms

• Cuộn tròn: To curl up, to coil (like a snake or a sleeping person).
• Khúm núm: To cower, to cringe (implies fear, subservience, or excessive deference).

Related Idioms

• Co ro như con rùa rút đầu vào mai: To huddle up like a turtle retracting its head into its shell. A vivid simile for someone withdrawing completely for protection or out of fear.
  • Nghe tiếng động mạnh, nó co ro như con rùa rút đầu vào mai. (Hearing the loud noise, he huddled up like a turtle pulling its head into its shell.)

1. To huddle oneself up, to stoop
   • ngồi co ro trong một góc
     to huddle oneself up in a corner
   • co ro trước giá rét
     to stoop in the chilly wind