Definition

1. Verb:
   • To clear one's throat: The action of making a short, often deliberate, throat-clearing sound, typically to get someone's attention, signal one's presence, or prepare to speak.
   • To hawk: To make a similar sound, often to clear mucus from the throat.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy dặng hắng một tiếng trước khi phát biểu. (He cleared his throat once before speaking.)
  • Nghe tiếng dặng hắng, tôi biết có người đang đứng sau cửa. (Hearing the throat-clearing sound, I knew someone was standing behind the door.)
  • Cô ấy dặng hắng liên tục vì cảm thấy vướng ở cổ. (She kept hawking because she felt something stuck in her throat.)

Advanced Usage

• Used as a signal: Often used not just for physical need but as a social cue to announce one's presence politely or to interrupt subtly.
  • Anh ta dặng hắng để nhắc nhở mọi người rằng đã đến giờ họp. (He cleared his throat to remind everyone that it was time for the meeting.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đằng hắng: A variant spelling and pronunciation of "dặng hắng" with the same meaning.
• Ho khẽ: To cough lightly. (This is a related action but is a different verb, focusing on a light cough rather than a deliberate throat-clearing sound.)

Synonyms

• Tằng hắng: This is essentially the same word with a slight variation in the first syllable (tằng vs. dặng). It carries the same meaning and usage.
• Khạc: To spit or hawk more forcefully, often implying expelling something from the throat. (This is stronger and less polite than "dặng hắng").

Related Phrases

• Dặng hắng lấy giọng: To clear one's throat to find one's voice (often before singing or giving a speech).
  • Ca sĩ dặng hắng lấy giọng trước khi bước lên sân khấu. (The singer cleared her throat to find her voice before stepping onto the stage.)

Related Idioms

• Dặng hắng ra hiệu: To clear one's throat as a signal.
  • Thấy tôi nói nhiều quá, anh ấy dặng hắng ra hiệu. (Seeing me talk too much, he cleared his throat as a signal.)

1. cũng nói đằng hắng Clear the throat, hawk