mát mẻ
Definition
- Adjective:
- Pleasantly cool (weather/climate): Describes a refreshing and comfortably low temperature, often associated with a gentle breeze or shade.
- Cool and fresh (air/wind): Refers to air that is cool, refreshing, and often moving gently.
- (Figurative) Sarcastically cool; cuttingly polite: Describes speech or remarks that are ostensibly polite but carry a hidden sting, criticism, or sarcasm.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (Temperature):
- Thời tiết ở Đà Lạt rất mát mẻ. (The weather in Da Lat is very cool and pleasant.)
- Chúng tôi ngồi trong bóng râm mát mẻ. (We sat in the cool shade.)
- Adjective (Speech):
- Cô ấy đáp lại bằng một giọng điệu mát mẻ. (She replied in a coolly polite/cutting tone.)
Advanced Usage
- Used to describe an abstract feeling of comfort, relief, or refreshment, often in metaphorical contexts.
- Lời khen của thầy giáo khiến tâm hồn em thấy mát mẻ. (The teacher's praise made my soul feel refreshed.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mát (adj): Cool. A more common and general term for coolness.
- Uống nước mát. (Drink cool water.)
- Mát mẻ is often considered a more descriptive and slightly more literary variant of mát, emphasizing a pleasant, refreshing quality.
Synonyms
- Cool: Of a moderately low temperature.
- Fresh: Cool and refreshing.
- Crisp: Pleasantly cool and invigorating (for air).
- Sarcastic: Marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt (for the figurative sense).
Related Idioms
- Nói mát mẻ: To speak with veiled sarcasm; to make a cuttingly polite remark.
- Đừng nói mát mẻ với tôi. (Don't speak to me with that veiled sarcasm.)