Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having gummy or watery eyes: Describes eyes that are sticky, teary, or crusty with sleep or discharge, often impairing vision.
   • Blurred, unclear (vision): Refers to vision that is not sharp or clear, often due to the aforementioned eye condition.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sáng dậy, mắt anh ấy còn kèm nhèm. (When he woke up, his eyes were still gummy and teary.)
  • Đứa trẻ dụi mắt kèm nhèm vì buồn ngủ. (The child rubbed its sleepy, crusty eyes.)
  • Nhìn mọi thứ qua đôi mắt kèm nhèm, hình ảnh thật mờ ảo. (Looking at things through bleary eyes, the images were very blurry.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used to describe the physical state of eyes upon waking, during illness (like conjunctivitis), or when very tired and struggling to keep eyes open.
• Can be used metaphorically in informal contexts to describe a perception or understanding that is not clear or sharp.
  • Anh ta nhìn vấn đề với cái nhìn kèm nhèm, chẳng thấy được bản chất. (He looks at the problem with a blurry perspective, failing to see its essence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhèm (adj): Often used in combination with "kèm" but can imply being smeared, blurred, or dirty, contributing to the unclear quality.
  • Mặt kính nhèm nước mưa. (The glass is smeared with rainwater.)
• Chảy nước mắt sống: A descriptive phrase for watery eyes, a condition that can cause eyes to be .

Synonyms

• Lèm nhèm (adj): Very similar in meaning, often interchangeable, describing eyes sticky with discharge.
• Chảy nước mắt (verb phrase): To have watery eyes.
• Mờ (adj): Blurry, unclear (for vision).

Related Phrases

• Mắt kèm nhèm: The most common collocation, directly meaning "gummy/bleary eyes".
  • Bà cụ có đôi mắt kèm nhèm vì tuổi già. (The old woman has bleary eyes due to old age.)

1. xem nhèm