Definition

1. Noun:

   • Trench; dugout; shelter: A long, narrow excavation in the ground, often used for military protection, drainage, or as a foundation.
   • Vault; cellar; underground chamber: An enclosed underground space used for storage (e.g., wine, food) or as a shelter.

2. Verb:

   • To stew; to braise; to simmer: To cook food slowly in a closed pot with a small amount of liquid.
   • To bake; to fire (bricks, tiles): To harden clay or similar materials by heating them in a kiln.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Bộ đội đào hầm để tránh đạn pháo. (The soldiers dug a trench to avoid artillery shells.)
  • Nhà hàng này có một hầm rượu rất lớn. (This restaurant has a very large wine cellar.)

• Verb:

  • Mẹ tôi thường hầm xương để lấy nước dùng. (My mother often stews bones to make broth.)
  • Gạch phải được hầm trong lò nhiều ngày. (Bricks must be fired in a kiln for many days.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nằm hầm": To hide away; to lie low (often in a shelter or figuratively).

  • Sau vụ scandal, ông ấy nằm hầm ở biệt thự suốt mấy tháng. (After the scandal, he lay low at his villa for months.)

• "Hầm hố" (adjective): Gloomy, grim, or fierce (often describing a facial expression or atmosphere).

  • Anh ta nhìn tôi với vẻ mặt hầm hố. (He looked at me with a grim expression.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hầm hơi (noun): Steam room; sauna.

  • Sau khi tập gym, tôi thường vào hầm hơi. (After working out, I usually go into the steam room.)

• Hầm chui (noun): Underpass; subway (for pedestrians or vehicles).

  • Hãy qua đường bằng hầm chui cho an toàn. (Please cross the road using the underpass for safety.)

Synonyms

• Noun (Trench): Rãnh (ditch), hào (moat).
• Noun (Cellar): Hầm chứa (storage cellar), tầng hầm (basement).
• Verb (To stew): Ninh (to simmer/braise, often for a very long time), om (to braise in a small amount of liquid).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Hầm hà (verb): To grumble; to complain in a low, discontented voice.
  • Đừng có hầm hà nữa, hãy nói rõ ý kiến của anh đi. (Stop grumbling; state your opinion clearly.)

Related Idioms

• "Chui vào hầm": Literally "to crawl into a shelter." Figuratively means to go into hiding or to isolate oneself.

  • Cảm thấy xấu hổ, nó chỉ muốn chui vào hầm. (Feeling ashamed, he just wanted to crawl into a hole.)

• "Hang hầm": Literally "caves and cellars." Often used to describe wild, dangerous, or lawless places.

  • Khu vực ấy trước đây là chốn hang hầm của bọn cướp. (That area used to be a den of thieves.)

noun

1. trench; vault; cellar
   • hầm rượu
     wine-cellar

verb

1. to stew; to braise; to simmer
   • hầm thịt bò
     to stew beef to bake; to kiln
   • hầm gạch
     to bake bricks