có mùi
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To have a smell, to smell (like something): The basic meaning is to possess or emit an odor. This can be neutral, but often implies an unpleasant or noticeable smell.
- To be suspicious, to seem fishy: Used figuratively to indicate that a situation or story seems dubious, unreliable, or not quite right.
Usage Examples
- Literal meaning (to have a smell):
- Cái thùng rác này có mùi. (This trash can smells.)
- Căn phòng có mùi thuốc lá. (The room has the smell of cigarettes.)
- Figurative meaning (to be suspicious):
- Câu chuyện của anh ta nghe có mùi. (His story sounds fishy.)
- Vụ giao dịch đó có mùi lừa đảo. (That deal smells like fraud.)
Advanced Usage
- "có mùi lạ": to have a strange/weird smell.
- Sữa này có mùi lạ, có lẽ đã hỏng. (This milk has a strange smell, it's probably spoiled.)
- "có mùi khó chịu": to have an unpleasant/offensive smell.
- Hóa chất đó có mùi khó chịu. (That chemical has an unpleasant smell.)
- "nghe có mùi": to sound suspicious (literally: to hear and it has a smell).
- Lời giải thích của cô ấy nghe có mùi. (Her explanation sounds fishy.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mùi (n): smell, odor, scent.
- mùi thơm (fragrance), mùi hôi (bad smell).
- Bốc mùi (v): to start smelling (strongly), to reek.
- Thức ăn để lâu bắt đầu bốc mùi. (The food left out too long started to reek.)
- Khử mùi (v): to deodorize, to remove a smell.
Synonyms
- Bốc mùi: to reek, to stink (stronger connotation).
- Hôi: to stink, to be smelly (specifically for bad smells).
- Nghi ngờ (for figurative use): to doubt, to suspect.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Đánh hơi thấy mùi (idiomatic): to sniff out, to sense something (often figuratively).
- Nhà báo đánh hơi thấy mùi một vụ bê bối. (The journalist sniffed out a scandal.)
Related Idioms
- "Có mùi tiền": to smell like money; to seem like a lucrative opportunity.
- Dự án này có mùi tiền. (This project smells like money.)
- "Có mùi xạo" (colloquial, Southern Vietnamese): to seem like a lie, to sound like bullshit.
- Anh đừng nói chuyện có mùi xạo nữa. (Stop talking bullshit.)