Definition

1. Verb:
   • To open one's mouth slightly, often to speak: The primary meaning is to barely open one's mouth, typically with the implication of starting to say something or uttering a word. It is frequently used in negative constructions to indicate silence or refusal to speak.
   • To reveal a small part (figurative): In a figurative sense, it can mean to reveal a tiny bit of information or to show a glimpse of something, like teeth in a slight smile.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nó ngồi im, không hé răng nửa lời. (He sat still, not uttering a single word.)
  • Cô ấy chỉ hé răng cười nhẹ rồi quay đi. (She just parted her lips in a slight smile before turning away.)
  • Suốt buổi thẩm vấn, nghi phạm không hé răng. (Throughout the interrogation, the suspect didn't say a word.)

Advanced Usage

• "Không hé răng" / "Chẳng hé răng": An idiomatic negative phrase meaning "to not say a word," "to keep one's mouth shut," or "to not breathe a word."
  • Về vụ đó, anh ta nhất quyết không hé răng. (Regarding that matter, he stubbornly refused to say anything.)
• "Hé răng nửa lời": A common collocation meaning "to utter even half a word," emphasizing complete silence.
  • Nó bực mình nên chẳng hé răng nửa lời. (He was annoyed, so he didn't utter a single syllable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hé môi (verb): Similar to "hé răng," meaning to part one's lips slightly, often to speak. The nuance can be slightly softer.
• Ngậm miệng (verb): To keep one's mouth shut, to be silent.
• Mở miệng (verb): To open one's mouth (to speak). This is a more general and neutral term compared to the slight, often reluctant action implied by "hé răng."

Synonyms

• Cất tiếng (verb): To raise one's voice, to speak up.
• Lên tiếng (verb): To speak out, to voice an opinion.
• Nói (verb): To speak, to say. ("Hé răng" often implies the very beginning of this action or its refusal.)

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

This word is typically used as a simple verb and does not commonly form phrasal verbs in Vietnamese.

Related Idioms

• Ngậm tăm, không dám hé răng: Literally "to hold a toothpick in the mouth, not dare to open it." This idiom vividly describes being forced into complete silence, often out of fear or subservience.
  • Trước mặt sếp, mọi người đều ngậm tăm, không dám hé răng. (In front of the boss, everyone kept their mouths shut and didn't dare to speak.)

verb

1. to open one's mouth