khom

Thân thiện

Một người đàn ông khom lưng để nhặt một cuốn sách dưới gầm bàn.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bow; to bend: To lower the upper body forward, typically at the waist or back, resulting in a curved or hunched posture. This action is often done to look at something low, to show respect, or to pass under a low obstacle.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông lão khom lưng nhặt đồng xu. (The old man bent down to pick up the coin.)
  • Cô ấy phải khom người để bước vào căn phòng nhỏ. (She had to bow her body to enter the small room.)
  • Người nông dân khom lưng cấy lúa cả ngày. (The farmer bends his back transplanting rice all day.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "khom" specifically describes a deliberate, often sustained, bending of the back or torso. It is not used for a simple, quick nod of the head.
• It frequently conveys a sense of effort, humility, or subservience, or describes a physical necessity due to spatial constraints.

Variants and Related Words

• Khom khom (adv): in a bent or stooping manner.
  • Anh ấy đi khom khom vì đau lưng. (He walks in a stooped manner because of back pain.)
• Cúi (v): to bow (often the head) or to lower oneself. While similar, "cúi" can imply a deeper or more respectful bow and is more general than "khom", which emphasizes the arching of the back.

Synonyms

• Stoop: to bend the body forward and downward.
• Bend: to curve or flex the body.
• Hunch: to raise or bend the shoulders and back into a rounded shape.

Related Idioms

• Khom lưng uốn gối: To bend one's back and bend one's knees. This idiom describes a posture of extreme deference, submission, or servility.
  • Anh ta sẵn sàng khom lưng uốn gối trước kẻ có quyền thế. (He is willing to bow and scrape before those in power.)

Học thuật

verb

1. to bow; to bend