Definition

1. Verb:

   • To open wide (especially the mouth): "há" primarily means to open something, particularly the mouth, widely or fully.
   • To gape: It can describe the action of opening the mouth in surprise, awe, or while waiting.

2. Interrogative Particle (Literary):

   • Is it that...?; Could it be...?: Used in classical or literary Vietnamese to form rhetorical questions expressing doubt, surprise, or negation. It translates to "how could it be?" or "is it possible that?".

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Con chim non há mỏ đòi ăn. (The baby bird opens its beak wide, begging for food.)
  • Cậu bé há miệng ngạc nhiên khi thấy món quà. (The boy gaped in surprise when he saw the gift.)

• Interrogative Particle:

  • Việc ấy há dễ làm như vậy? (Is that task really that easy to do? / Could that task possibly be that easy?)
  • Lẽ nào chuyện ấy há lại là sự thật? (How could that possibly be true?)

Advanced Usage

• "há miệng chờ sung": This is a fixed idiom. It literally means "to open one's mouth waiting for a Siamese rose apple to fall in." It is used to criticize someone who waits passively for good things to happen without making any effort, similar to "waiting for manna from heaven" or "waiting for a windfall."
  • Anh ta không chịu tìm việc, chỉ há miệng chờ sung thôi. (He refuses to look for a job, just waiting for a windfall.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hả (Interjection): A common spoken particle used at the end of a sentence to form a yes-no question or to express surprise, equivalent to "huh?" or "really?".
  • Anh đi làm hả? (You're going to work, huh?)
• Há hốc (Verb): To gape, to open one's mouth very wide in astonishment.
  • Mọi người há hốc mồm kinh ngạc. (Everyone gaped in amazement.)

Synonyms

• Mở (Verb): To open (a more general term).
• Ngoác (Verb): To open wide (often the mouth), can imply a less graceful or more abrupt action than "há".

Related Phrases

• Há miệng (Verb Phrase): To open one's mouth.
  • Bệnh nhân không thể há miệng to được. (The patient cannot open his mouth wide.)

Related Idioms

• "Há miệng chờ sung": As explained in Advanced Usage, this is the primary idiom. It criticizes passive waiting for luck or success without action.

verb

1. to open wide