Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Slightly feverish; having a body temperature a little higher than normal: Describes a state of mild fever or feeling warm, not a full-blown high fever.
   • (Colloquial) Slightly eccentric, odd, or a bit crazy: Used informally to describe a person whose behavior or thinking is a little strange, silly, or not quite right.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Slightly feverish):

  • Em bé trán hâm hấp, có lẽ bị cảm nhẹ. (The baby's forehead is slightly feverish; perhaps they have a mild cold.)
  • Tôi thấy người hâm hấp nên đi ngủ sớm. (I feel a bit feverish, so I'm going to bed early.)

• Adjective (Slightly eccentric):

  • Anh ta tính tình hâm hấp, đôi khi nói những điều khó hiểu. (He's a bit odd; sometimes he says confusing things.)
  • Đừng nghe lão ấy, ông ấy hơi hâm hấp rồi. (Don't listen to that old man; he's a little touched in the head.)

Advanced Usage

• "hâm hấp sốt": This phrase intensifies the feverish meaning, implying a state of having a slight but persistent fever.

  • Cứ hâm hấp sốt mấy ngày nay không khỏi. (I've been having this slight, lingering fever for days now.)

• Used to describe something that is lukewarm or tepid, though this usage is less common than the primary meanings above.

  • Nước hâm hấp, chưa đủ nóng để pha trà. (The water is lukewarm, not hot enough to make tea.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hâm (adj): The root word, meaning "crazy," "foolish," or "obsessed." "Hâm hấp" is a reduplicative form indicating a lesser degree.
• Sốt (n/adj): Fever; feverish. "Hâm hấp" suggests a milder state than "sốt."
• Lập dị (adj): Eccentric. This is a more formal term for odd behavior, whereas "hâm hấp" is colloquial and implies a slight, often harmless, craziness.

Synonyms

• Âm ấm: Warm (can describe temperature, but not typically for fever).
• Lơ mơ: Dazed, groggy (can overlap with the feverish feeling).
• Gàn dở / Khùng khùng: Foolish, silly, a bit crazy (colloquial synonyms for the eccentric meaning).

Related Idioms

• Đầu óc trên mây trên gió / Điên điên khùng khùng: These idioms mean "to have one's head in the clouds" or "to be crazy," which share the conceptual space with the eccentric meaning of "hâm hấp," though they are stronger in degree.

adj

1. hottish