co rúm

Đứa trẻ co rúm người lại trong góc.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cower / to shrink back: To physically draw one's body inward, often due to fear, cold, or pain, making oneself appear smaller.
   • To cringe / to recoil: To react with a physical or emotional shrinking movement, typically from something unpleasant, frightening, or shameful.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa trẻ co rúm người lại trong góc. (The child cowered in the corner.)
  • Cô ấy co rúm lại vì lạnh. (She shrank back because of the cold.)
  • Nghe tin đó, anh ta co rúm lại vì xấu hổ. (Hearing that news, he cringed in shame.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often describes a reflexive, involuntary physical reaction that reveals an internal emotional state such as terror, intense shyness, or severe discomfort.

Variants and Related Words

• Co lại (v): to contract, to shrink. This is a more general term for physical contraction without the strong connotation of fear or shame.

  • Sợi dây cao su co lại. (The rubber band contracted.)

• Rúm ró (adj): wrinkled, crumpled. Used to describe the state of an object, not a person's action.

  • Tờ giấy bị rúm ró. (The paper is crumpled.)

Synonyms

• Cower: To crouch down in fear.
• Shrink: To become smaller in size or draw back.
• Recoil: To suddenly move back from something frightening or shocking.
• Cringe: To bend one's head and body in fear or apprehension.

Related Idioms

• Co rúm người lại: This is the full, common phrase meaning "to shrink one's body back," emphasizing the physical action.
  • Thấy chó sủa, nó co rúm người lại. (Seeing the dog bark, he shrank back.)