Definition

Verb: * To spread or spill over a wide area, covering a surface completely. It describes a liquid flowing or overflowing abundantly and extensively.

Usage

• This verb is used to describe a situation where a liquid (water, blood, oil, etc.) has overflowed from its container or source and is now covering a large, flat surface.
• It emphasizes the extent and abundance of the spill, not just a small trickle.
• It is often used with nouns indicating liquids.

Examples

• Nước lênh láng trên sàn nhà. (Water is spilled all over the floor.)
• Sau cơn mưa, sân trường lênh láng nước. (After the rain, the schoolyard is flooded with water.)
• Dầu ăn bị đổ, lênh láng trên bếp. (The cooking oil was spilled, spreading all over the kitchen.)
• Máu lênh láng trên đường sau vụ tai nạn. (Blood was spilled all over the road after the accident.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

• The word lênh láng carries a connotation of messiness, abundance, and sometimes even wastefulness due to the uncontrolled spread of liquid.
• It can be used figuratively in literary contexts to describe something abstract that "floods" or "spreads" extensively, though this is less common.
  • Ánh trăng lênh láng khắp cánh đồng. (Moonlight floods the entire field.) (Figurative use)

Variants and Related Words

• Tràn (verb): To overflow, to spill. This is a more general and common synonym.
• Ngập (verb): To flood, to submerge. Implies a deeper covering of liquid.
• Đổ (verb): To pour, to tip over. Focuses on the action causing the spill.
• Lan tràn (verb phrase): To spread, to proliferate. Used for both liquids and abstract things like fire or news.

Synonyms

• Tràn lan (verb): To overflow and spread widely.
• Chảy tràn (verb): To flow and spill over.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Lênh đênh (adjective): This is a different word with a similar sound. It means "drifting" or "floating adrift" (e.g., on water), often used to describe an unstable, uncertain life situation. Do not confuse with lênh láng.
  • Cuộc sống lênh đênh trên sông nước. (A life drifting on the rivers.)

verb

1. to spead all over, to spill all over