lầm lầm
Definition
- Adjective:
- Murky, turbid, cloudy: Describes a liquid that is not clear, often with suspended particles. This meaning is now less common.
- Sullen, sulky, glowering: Describes a facial expression or demeanor showing silent anger, displeasure, or resentment. This is the primary modern meaning.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Nước ao lầm lầm, không thể nhìn thấy đáy. (The pond water was murky, making the bottom invisible.)
- Anh ấy ngồi một góc với vẻ mặt lầm lầm cả buổi. (He sat in a corner with a sullen face all afternoon.)
- Đừng có cái vẻ lầm lầm lì lì như thế, có chuyện gì thì nói ra đi. (Don't be so sulky and silent like that; if something's wrong, speak up.)
Advanced Usage
- "Lầm lầm lì lì": A common reduplicative phrase emphasizing a stubbornly silent, sulky, and uncommunicative attitude.
- Nó cứ lầm lầm lì lì từ sáng đến giờ, chẳng chịu nói năng gì. (He has been sulking stubbornly and silently since this morning, refusing to say a word.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lằm lằm: An alternate spelling with the same meaning (sullen, glowering).
- Cô bé nhìn mẹ với ánh mắt lằm lằm. (The little girl looked at her mother with a glowering expression.)
- Lầm lì (adj): Sullen, morose, taciturn. Often used interchangeably with or alongside "lầm lầm" to describe a gloomy, silent disposition.
- Tính anh ấy khá lầm lì, ít khi cười nói. (He has a rather sullen personality, rarely talking or laughing.)
Synonyms
- Cáu kỉnh: Irritable, grumpy.
- Hầm hầm: Fuming, seething (with anger).
- Ỉu xìu: Downcast, dejected, looking disappointed or sad.
Related Idioms
- Lầm lầm lì lì như hến: (To be) as sullen and closed-mouthed as a clam. This idiom vividly compares a person's silent, sulky state to a tightly shut shellfish.
- Hỏi mãi không nói, cứ lầm lầm lì lì như hến. (I asked repeatedly but got no answer; he just remained as sullen and silent as a clam.)