Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:

   • To sink downward; to subside; to settle: Refers to a surface or object moving downward, often gradually, due to pressure, weight, or a lack of solid support. It describes a decrease in level or height.
   • To yield; to give in; to be less firm: Used figuratively to describe a person or stance becoming less resolute, compromising, or appearing weaker in an argument or confrontation.

2. Transitive Verb (less common):

   • To cause to sink or subside: To press something down so it sinks into a soft material.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:

  • Nền nhà bị lún. (The house's foundation has sunk/settled.)
  • Chiếc xe bị lún trong bùn. (The car got stuck/sank in the mud.)
  • Sau trận mưa, con đường đất lún sâu. (After the rain, the dirt road subsided/sank deeply.)
  • Trong cuộc tranh luận, anh ta đã lún thế. (In the debate, he yielded/gave ground.)

• Transitive Verb:

  • Cô ấy lún chân xuống cát. (She sank her feet into the sand.)

Advanced Usage

• "lún sâu": to sink deeply.

  • Vấn đề càng ngày càng lún sâu. (The problem is sinking deeper and deeper [becoming more complicated].)

• "lún phèn": (technical/regional) Refers to land subsidence in acidic sulfate soil areas.

  • Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long có nhiều vùng đất lún phèn. (The Mekong Delta has many areas with acid sulfate soil subsidence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lún xuống (phrasal verb): to sink down, to subside.

  • Mặt đường lún xuống sau khi đào. (The road surface sank down after being dug up.)

• Sụt lún (compound noun/adjective): subsidence, sinking (often more severe or catastrophic).

  • Sụt lún đất đe dọa các công trình. (Land subsidence threatens the structures.)

• Lún sụt (verb/adjective): to subside/collapse; sunken (emphasizes a state of having sunk).

  • Nền móng bị lún sụt. (The foundation has collapsed/subsided.)

Synonyms

• Sụt: to drop, to fall (often more sudden).
• Xẹp: to deflate, to flatten (often for air-filled objects or spirits).
• Lõm xuống: to dent inward, to become concave.
• Nhượng bộ (figurative): to concede, to yield.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Lún vào: to sink into.
  • Bánh xe lún vào bùn. (The wheel sank into the mud.)

Related Idioms

• Cứng không được thì phải lún: Literally, "If you can't be hard, you must yield." Meaning sometimes you have to compromise or give in.
  • Trong đàm phán, đôi khi cứng không được thì phải lún. (In negotiation, sometimes if you can't stand firm, you must yield.)

verb

1. to subside; to sink; to settle; to delve
   • nền lún xuống
     the foundation have sunk