hì hụp
Definitions
- Verb:
- To repeatedly dip or submerge oneself in water: Describes the action of going into and out of water multiple times, often quickly or energetically, like when playing, bathing, or struggling in water.
- To eat or drink noisily and eagerly: Describes the action of consuming food or liquid with slurping or gulping sounds, often with great enthusiasm or haste.
Usage Examples
Verb (in water):
- Mấy đứa trẻ đang hì hụp dưới mương. (The children are splashing about repeatedly in the ditch.)
- Anh ấy hì hụp trong bồn tắm để giải nhiệt. (He kept dipping himself in the bathtub to cool down.)
Verb (eating/drinking):
- Nó hì hụp một bát mì nóng hổi. (He noisily slurped down a bowl of steaming noodles.)
- Cả nhà cùng hì hụp nồi lẩu ngon lành. (The whole family eagerly dug into the delicious hotpot.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used to depict vivid, repetitive, and somewhat clumsy or vigorous actions.
- Carries a colloquial and descriptive tone, frequently found in narrative contexts to add imagery.
- Can imply a sense of enjoyment, struggle, or urgency depending on the context.
Variants and Related Words
- Hụp: A shorter, more casual form meaning to dunk or submerge briefly (often used in Southern Vietnam).
- Hụp một cái là biết bơi. (Just dunk yourself once and you'll know how to swim.)
- Ngụp lặn: A more formal synonym meaning to dive and surface, often used for swimming or describing hardship ("ngụp lặn trong khó khăn" - to struggle in difficulties).
Synonyms
- Lặn ngụp: To dive and submerge.
- Chúi đầu vào (ăn/uống): To bury one's head in (eating/drinking).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.
Related Idioms
- Hì hụp đầu tắt mặt tối: To work tirelessly from dawn till dusk.
- Bố mẹ tôi hì hụp đầu tắt mặt tối để nuôi chúng tôi ăn học. (My parents worked themselves to the bone from morning till night to raise and educate us.) (Note: This idiom extends the meaning of repetitive, strenuous effort beyond just water or eating.)