Definition

1. Verb:
   • To abstain, to refrain: "kiêng khem" means to deliberately avoid consuming certain foods, drinks, or activities, often for health, religious, or traditional reasons.
   • To be on a diet, to diet: It can specifically refer to following dietary restrictions, such as during an illness, pregnancy, or for weight management.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau phẫu thuật, bác sĩ dặn tôi phải kiêng khem đồ ăn dầu mỡ. (After surgery, the doctor told me to abstain from oily foods.)
  • Bà tôi đang kiêng khem thịt đỏ vì vấn đề về huyết áp. (My grandmother is refraining from red meat due to blood pressure issues.)
  • Người bị tiểu đường cần kiêng khem đường và tinh bột. (People with diabetes need to diet by avoiding sugar and starch.)

Advanced Usage

• "kiêng khem nghiêm ngặt": to strictly abstain.

  • Cô ấy kiêng khem nghiêm ngặt trong tháng ăn chay. (She strictly abstains during the vegetarian month.)

• "kiêng khem đủ thứ": to refrain from all sorts of things.

  • Khi mang thai, chị ấy phải kiêng khem đủ thứ theo lời khuyên của mẹ. (When pregnant, she had to refrain from all sorts of things based on her mother's advice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kiêng cữ (verb): A near-synonym, often used interchangeably with "kiêng khem," meaning to abstain or observe taboos.

  • Bệnh nhân phải kiêng cữ rượu bia. (The patient must abstain from alcohol.)

• Kiêng (verb): The root verb meaning to abstain or avoid. "Kiêng khem" is an emphatic or more formal form.

  • Tôi kiêng cà phê vì nó làm tôi mất ngủ. (I avoid coffee because it makes me lose sleep.)

Synonyms

• Nhịn ăn: to fast (often for a specific period).
• Kiêng cữ: to abstain, to observe restrictions (very close synonym).
• Hạn chế: to limit, to restrict (less specific to consumption).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As Vietnamese is an isolating language, it does not have phrasal verbs in the same way English does. The concept is more akin to verb phrases or compound verbs. - Ăn kiêng: to diet, to eat according to restrictions. - Anh ấy đang ăn kiêng để giảm cân. (He is dieting to lose weight.)

Related Idioms

• Kiêng khem như mèo giữ mỡ: To abstain/be as careful as a cat guarding its fat (to be extremely cautious or abstemious).
  • Sau khi biết mình bị gan nhiễm mỡ, ông ấy kiêng khem như mèo giữ mỡ. (After finding out he had a fatty liver, he abstained from things as carefully as a cat guarding its fat.)

1. như kiêng cữ