Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Glib; voluble: Describes a person, especially a child, who talks a lot, quickly, and in a clever or cheeky manner, often with a mildly disapproving or teasing connotation.
   • Spreading quickly (of fire): Describes a fire that burns with a low flame but spreads rapidly from one object to another.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Glib):
  • Đứa bé đó rất lém. (That child is very glib.)
  • Nó lém lắm, nói chuyện với người lớn không hề sợ. (He's very voluble, talking to adults without any fear.)
• Adjective (Spreading fire):
  • Ngọn lửa lém rất nhanh qua các ngôi nhà bằng gỗ. (The fire spread very quickly through the wooden houses.)

Advanced Usage

• "lém miệng": to have a glib/quick tongue.
  • Đừng nghe nó nói, nó chỉ lém miệng thôi. (Don't listen to him, he just has a glib tongue.)
• "lem lém" (reduplicative form): intensifies the meaning, suggesting a greater degree of being talkative or of fire spreading incessantly.
  • Cô bé cứ nói lem lém cả buổi. (The little girl kept chattering non-stop all afternoon.)
  • Lửa cháy lem lém. (The fire spread relentlessly.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lém lỉnh (adj): Sly, cunning, artful (often with a sense of mischievous cleverness).
  • Cậu bé trả lời một cách lém lỉnh. (The boy answered in a sly manner.)

Synonyms

• Chatty: inclined to talk a lot.
• Garrulous: excessively talkative.
• Rapid-spreading (for fire): extending quickly over an area.

Related Idioms

• "Lém như Cuội": As glib/talkative as Cuội (a mythical figure in Vietnamese folklore known for his tall tales); means someone is extremely glib or a big talker.
  • Đừng tin những lời hứa của nó, nó lém như Cuội ấy. (Don't believe his promises, he's as glib as Cuội.)

adj

1. glib; voluble
   • lém miệng
     to have a glib tongue