Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Pinkish-red, ruddy (especially describing a newborn's skin): "hỏn" describes the characteristic pink or reddish color of a newborn baby's skin.
   • Very red or flushed: When used in its reduplicated form, it intensifies the meaning to describe something as very red or crimson.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Em bé mới sinh da còn đỏ hỏn. (The newborn baby's skin is still pink.)
  • Đứa trẻ khóc nên mặt nó hon hỏn. (The child cried so its face became all flushed.)

Advanced Usage

• "hon hỏn" (reduplicated form): This is an intensified form, meaning very red, crimson, or deeply flushed.
  • Cô ấy xấu hổ, hai má đỏ hon hỏn. (She was embarrassed, her cheeks were deeply flushed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đỏ (adj): Red. This is the basic color term. "Đỏ hỏn" specifies a particular shade or context (newborn pink).
• Hồng hào (adj): Rosy, ruddy (often describing healthy complexion). While related, "hồng hào" suggests health and vitality, whereas "hỏn" is specific to newborns or intense flushing.

Synonyms

• Ửng hồng: To glow pink, to have a pink flush.
• Đỏ au: Bright red (can be used for objects, sometimes for skin tone in different contexts).

Notes on Usage

• The word "hỏn" is almost never used alone in modern Vietnamese. It is primarily used in the fixed phrase "đỏ hỏn" or its reduplicated form "hon hỏn".
• Its usage is quite specific and literary/descriptive. It is most commonly found in writing or poetic descriptions, particularly about infants or extreme blushing.

1. Pink (like a new-born baby)
   • Em bé còn đỏ hỏn
     The baby was still pink
   • Hon hỏn (láy, ý tăng)