Definition

1. Verb:
   • To lie down flat and stretched out: "kềnh" describes the action of lying down in a relaxed, often careless or sprawling manner, typically occupying a lot of space.
   • To be bulky, to be large and unwieldy: "kềnh" can describe something that is disproportionately large, cumbersome, or takes up excessive space.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy mệt quá, về nhà là kềnh ra ghế sofa ngủ luôn. (He was so tired, he went home and sprawled out on the sofa and slept immediately.)
  • Đừng có kềnh ra giữa đường như thế! (Don't lie sprawled out in the middle of the road like that!)
  • Cái tủ lạnh cũ này kềnh quá, chiếm hết chỗ bếp. (This old refrigerator is too bulky, it takes up the whole kitchen space.)

Advanced Usage

• "kềnh càng" (adjective): This is a common reduplicative form that intensifies the meaning, describing something as very bulky, cumbersome, or awkwardly large.
  • Máy tính để bàn ngày xưa kềnh càng lắm, không tiện như bây giờ. (Desktop computers in the old days were very bulky and cumbersome, not as convenient as now.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kềnh càng (adj): Bulky, cumbersome, unwieldy. (This is the primary related compound form.)
  • Hành lý kềnh càng thường bị tính phí thêm ở sân bay. (Bulky luggage is often charged extra at the airport.)

Synonyms

• Nằm dài (verb phrase): To lie at full length.
• Cồng kềnh (adj): Bulky, cumbersome (similar to "kềnh càng").
• To lớn (adj): Big, large (but without the negative connotation of being unwieldy).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The verb meaning ("to lie sprawled") is more common in informal, spoken language.
• The adjective-like meaning ("bulky") is often used in the compound form "kềnh càng".
• The reference to animals being larger than others of their kind (e.g., - a large ant) is a specific, less common usage but fits under the general sense of being disproportionately large.

verb

1. to live flat
   • kềnh càng
     bulky