Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Dirty or dingy yellow: Describes a yellow color that is impure, faded, or unpleasantly discolored, often with a sense of being stained or tarnished.

2. Onomatopoeia:

   • The sound of snoring: Represents the raspy, rhythmic sound made by someone who is asleep and snoring.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Răng vàng khè. (Dirty yellow teeth.)
  • Tấm màn cũ vàng khè. (The old curtain is a dingy yellow.)

• Onomatopoeia:

  • Ông cụ nằm ngủ khè khè. (The old man lay sleeping, snoring "khè khè".)

Advanced Usage

• "vàng khè": This is a common collocation where "khè" almost exclusively follows "vàng" to specify the type of discolored yellow.

  • Chiếc áo trắng giờ đã ngả màu vàng khè. (The white shirt has now turned a dirty yellow.)

• "khè khè": The reduplicated form intensifies the sound of snoring, suggesting a continuous, loud, or labored breathing sound during sleep.

  • Cả phòng nghe thấy tiếng anh ta ngáy khè khè. (The whole room could hear him snoring "khè khè".)

Variants and Related Words

• Khò khè (onomatopoeia): This variant describes a wheezing or rattling sound, often related to difficult breathing, not just snoring.
  • Đứa bé bị ho và thở khò khè. (The child was coughing and breathing wheezily.)

Synonyms

• Adjective: Discolored, stained, dingy.
• Onomatopoeia: Snore, wheeze.

Related Idioms

• Vàng khè như nghệ: As yellow as turmeric (emphasizing a strong, often unpleasant yellow hue).
  • Bức tường cũ vàng khè như nghệ. (The old wall is as yellow as turmeric.)

1. Dirty (yellow)
   • Răng vàng khè
     Dirty yellow teeth