Definition

1. Adjective / Adverb:
   • Muttering, mumbling: Describes a low, continuous, and indistinct sound made by voices, often when many people are speaking quietly at the same time, creating a background murmur.
   • Rustling, whispering: Can describe a soft, continuous, and indistinct sound produced by natural elements, like leaves, rain, or flowing water.

Usage Examples

• Adjective / Adverb:
  • Mọi người nói chuyện lầm rầm trong thư viện. (People were talking in murmurs in the library.)
  • Tiếng mưa rơi lầm rầm trên mái tôn. (The rain fell with a gentle patter on the tin roof.)
  • Chúng tôi nghe thấy tiếng lầm rầm từ phòng bên cạnh. (We heard a low murmur from the next room.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke atmosphere. It is an onomatopoeic word, imitating the sound it describes.
• It can function as a verb in some contexts, though this is less common. For example: (They murmured prayers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lầm bầm (v/adj): To grumble, to mutter in complaint. This variant often carries a negative connotation of dissatisfaction.
  • Ông ấy lầm bầm một mình về thời tiết. (He grumbled to himself about the weather.)

Synonyms

• Murmur: A low, continuous, indistinct sound.
• Mutter: To speak in a low, often indistinct voice.
• Rustle: A soft, whispering sound like that of leaves or paper.
• Babble (e.g., of a brook): A continuous, gentle sound of flowing water.

Related Idioms

• While "lầm rầm" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is the descriptive core of phrases like (murmuring voices) or (the murmuring sound of rain).