Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Thoroughly memorized, fluent without hesitation: Describes something (especially text, speech, or knowledge) that has been memorized so well it can be recited or applied smoothly and flawlessly, without any stumbling or forgetting.
   • Completely clean, spotless: (Colloquial) Describes a state of being perfectly clean, without a single stain or speck of dirt.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Memorized):
  • Cậu bé đọc thuộc làu bài thơ. (The boy recited the poem fluently from memory.)
  • Cô ấy thuộc làu số điện thoại của tất cả bạn bè. (She knows all her friends' phone numbers by heart.)
• Adjective (Clean):
  • Căn bếp được lau chùi sạch làu. (The kitchen was wiped down until it was spotless.)
  • Chiếc áo trắng vẫn sạch làu sau một ngày dài. (The white shirt remained perfectly clean after a long day.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làu làu": The reduplicated form, which intensifies the meaning. It emphasizes an even higher degree of fluency or thoroughness in memorization.
  • Ông cụ kể làu làu chuyện ngày xưa. (The old man recounted stories of the past with great fluency and detail.)
• "Thuộc làu như cháo chảy": An idiom meaning "to know something like the back of one's hand" or "to have something down pat," comparing fluency to porridge flowing smoothly.
  • Anh ấy thuộc làu như cháo chảy các điều luật. (He knows the regulations inside out.)

Variants and Related Words

• Làu thông (Literary/Idiomatic): To be thoroughly versed in, to be deeply knowledgeable about (often used with classical texts).
  • Làu thông kinh sử. (To be deeply learned in the classics and histories.)
• Làu bằu (Colloquial, less common): A rhyming compound sometimes used for emphasis, similar to "làu làu."

Synonyms

• Nhuần nhuyễn: Proficient, skilled, smooth (often through practice).
• Thông thạo: Fluent, masterful.
• Sạch bong: (For the "clean" meaning) Sparkling clean.
• Sạch sẽ: Clean.

Notes on Usage

• "Làu" is almost always used as a complement following a verb (like ) or an adjective (like ). It is rarely used alone as a standalone adjective before a noun.
• Its primary and most common meaning relates to memorization and fluency. The "clean" meaning is more colloquial and situational.

adj

1. without a hiteh