hôi sì
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely smelly, very foul-smelling: An emphatic and colloquial term used to describe something that has a very strong, unpleasant, and offensive odor. It intensifies the basic adjective "hôi" (smelly).
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cái thùng rác này hôi sì. (This trash can is extremely smelly.)
- Con cá ươn hôi sì luôn. (The spoiled fish is incredibly foul-smelling.)
- Phòng tắm công cộng đôi khi hôi sì. (Public bathrooms can sometimes reek terribly.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "hôi sì" is informal and often used in spoken Vietnamese for dramatic or humorous emphasis. It is not typically used in formal writing.
Variants and Related Words
- Hôi (adj): smelly, stinky.
- Mùi hôi. (A bad smell.)
- Hôi hám (adj): smelly, malodorous (a more common compound than "hôi sì").
- Quần áo hôi hám. (Smelly clothes.)
Synonyms
- Reeking: giving off a strong, unpleasant smell.
- Fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant.
- Putrid: decaying and smelling very bad.
- Stinking: having a strong, offensive smell.
Related Idioms
- Hôi như cú: to stink like an owl (a simile implying something smells very bad).
- Cái ao tù này hôi như cú. (This stagnant pond stinks to high heaven.)