Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Decayed, rotten, or crumbled into small pieces: Describes the state of a material that has deteriorated due to age, moisture, or other factors, causing it to become soft, brittle, and break apart into tiny fragments.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Gạo để lâu ngày chỗ ẩm bị mủn. (Rice kept for a long time in a damp place gets decayed.)
  • Viên gạch cũ này đã mủn ra. (This old brick has crumbled.)
  • Đất ở đây khô và mủn. (The soil here is dry and friable.)

Advanced Usage

• Describing Material Degradation: Used to describe the physical breakdown of various solid materials, not just food.
  • Gỗ bị mối ăn đã mủn hết. (The wood eaten by termites has completely rotted/decayed.)
• Figurative Use (Rare): Can be used metaphorically to describe something that has become weak or ineffective over time.
  • Lòng tin đã mủn theo năm tháng. (Trust has eroded/crumbled over the years.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mục (adj): Often used interchangeably in some contexts to mean rotten or decayed, especially for organic matter like wood. (rotten wood).
• Nát (adj): Broken, smashed, or crushed. While implies breaking, specifically implies breaking down into very fine, often powdery, pieces.
• Vụn (adj): In small pieces, crumbled. (breadcrumbs). often implies this state is a result of decay.

Synonyms

• Decayed: Having rotted or decomposed.
• Crumbled: Broken into small fragments.
• Friable: Easily crumbled or reduced to powder.
• Rotten: Decomposed and spoiled.

Related Phrases (Conceptual)

• Bị mủn: To become decayed/crumbled. Indicates the process or state of deterioration.
  • Đá vôi dễ bị mủn bởi nước mưa. (Limestone easily becomes crumbled by rainwater.)
• Mủn ra: To crumble away. Emphasizes the action of breaking apart.
  • Bức tường cũ đang mủn ra. (The old wall is crumbling away.)

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Meaning: The core meaning is the physical deterioration of a solid substance into a soft, fragmented, or powdery state, typically due to environmental factors like dampness, age, or chemical reaction.
• Material Scope: Commonly applied to building materials (brick, stone, limestone), food grains (rice), wood, and soil.
• State vs. Action: Primarily describes a state ( - is decayed) but can imply the process leading to that state.

1. Decayed
   • Gạo để lâu ngày chỗ ẩm bị mủn
     Rice kept for long in a damp place gets decayed