Definition

1. Noun:
   • Rheum, sleep, eye discharge: A sticky or crusty substance that can accumulate in the corners of the eyes, especially during sleep.
   • (Dialectal) Bait, lure: In some dialects, used similarly to "nhử" (to bait, to lure).

Usage Examples

• Noun (Rheum):
  • Anh ấy dụi mắt để lau sạch dử. (He rubbed his eyes to clean the sleep away.)
  • Trẻ sơ sinh thường có nhiều dử mắt. (Newborn babies often have a lot of eye discharge.)
• Noun (Dialectal: Bait):
  • Người câu cá dùng con giun làm dử. (The fisherman used a worm as bait.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dử mắt": A common compound specifically meaning "eye rheum" or "sleep (in the eyes)".
  • Sáng nào tôi cũng phải rửa mặt để sạch dử mắt. (Every morning I have to wash my face to clean the sleep from my eyes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhử (verb): To bait, to lure, to entice. This is the standard word for which "dử" is a dialectal variant in the "bait" sense.
• Ghèn: Another common, often more colloquial, synonym for eye rheum or sleep.

Synonyms

• Rheum: (Formal/medical) The watery discharge from mucous membranes, especially of the eyes or nose.
• Sleep (in one's eyes): (Informal) The common English term for dried rheum in the eyes.
• Eye gunk / Eye crust: (Very informal) Casual terms for eye discharge.

Related Phrases

• Có dử: To have sleep in one's eyes.
  • Đừng ra ngoài khi mặt còn có dử. (Don't go outside while you still have sleep in your eyes.)

Notes on Usage

• As a noun meaning "rheum," "dử" is commonly used in everyday Vietnamese.
• Its dialectal use meaning "bait" is less common in standard Vietnamese and is largely replaced by "nhử" (verb) or "mồi" (noun for bait). When encountering "dử" in this sense, it is important to consider the regional context.

1. Rheum (gum on the edge of the eyelids).
2. (địa phương) xem nhử