lạnh dạ
Definition
- Adjective (colloquial, often vulgar):
- Having diarrhea: The primary and most common meaning refers to the physical condition of suffering from watery, loose bowel movements.
- Feeling sudden fear or shock (figurative): Used metaphorically to describe a feeling of being so frightened, startled, or anxious that one feels a physical chill or a sinking sensation in the gut.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ăn đồ đó vào là lạnh dạ ngay. (Eating that will give you diarrhea immediately.)
- Nghe tin đó, tôi lạnh dạ cả người. (Hearing that news, I was chilled to the core.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is informal and carries a crude, graphic connotation due to its direct reference to bodily functions. Its figurative use for fear is vivid and dramatic.
Variants and Related Words
- Đau bụng (v/n): to have a stomach ache; a stomach ache.
- Anh ấy bị đau bụng. (He has a stomach ache.)
- Tiêu chảy (n): diarrhea (the standard, neutral medical term).
- Bệnh nhân có triệu chứng tiêu chảy. (The patient has symptoms of diarrhea.)
Synonyms
- Have the runs: (idiomatic, informal) to have diarrhea.
- Chilled to the bone / scared stiff: (for the figurative meaning) to be extremely frightened.
Related Idioms
- Sợ xanh mắt: to be scared out of one's wits (a less vulgar alternative for fear).
- Nó sợ xanh mắt khi thấy cảnh sát. (He was scared out of his wits when he saw the police.)