Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Wrinkled, crumpled, shriveled: Describes something that has many small folds or creases, often due to being squeezed, dried, or aged, giving it a shrunken or deformed appearance.
   • Cowering, recoiling in fear: Describes a person or animal shrinking back or hunching their body due to fear, cold, or timidity.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Lá cây khô dúm dó dưới nắng. (The dried leaves are shriveled under the sun.)
  • Đứa trẻ dúm dó trong góc vì sợ. (The child cowered in the corner out of fear.)
  • Tờ giấy bị vò dúm dó. (The paper was crumpled up.)

Advanced Usage

• "dúm dó lại": to shrivel up, to crumple up, to recoil.
  • Con mèo dúm dó lại khi gặp chó. (The cat recoiled when it met the dog.)
• Often used to emphasize a state of being tightly wrinkled, shrunken, or physically contracted, not just loosely folded.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhăn nheo (adj): Wrinkled, creased (often for skin or fabric). Less intense than "dúm dó".
• Co rúm (adj/phr): To shrink back, to cower. Very close in meaning to the fearful aspect of "dúm dó".
• Rúm ró (adj): A common variant spelling of "dúm dó" with identical meaning.

Synonyms

• Nhăn nhúm: Wrinkled, crumpled.
• Quắt queo: Withered, shriveled (often for plants).
• Co cụm: To huddle, to shrink oneself.

Related Idioms

• Mặt dúm dó: A wrinkled face.
  • Ông cụ đã già, mặt dúm dó vì tuổi tác. (The old man is aged, his face is wrinkled with time.)
• While not a phrasal verb, "dúm dó" itself functions descriptively, often paired with verbs like "bị" (to be), "trông" (to look), or "ngồi" (to sit) to complete the imagery.

1. Wrinkled up