mùi thối
Definition
- Noun:
- A foul smell / A stench: The primary meaning of "mùi thối" is a strong, unpleasant, and offensive odor, typically resulting from decay, rot, or filth.
- A rotten smell: Specifically denotes the smell of decomposing organic matter.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Có mùi thối bốc lên từ thùng rác. (A foul smell is rising from the trash can.)
- Mùi thối của cá ươn lan khắp chợ. (The rotten smell of spoiled fish spread throughout the market.)
- Con mèo mang xác chuột vào, để lại mùi thối khủng khiếp. (The cat brought a dead mouse in, leaving a terrible stench.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase can be used metaphorically to describe something morally corrupt or reprehensible, though this is less common.
- Vụ bê bối đó để lại một mùi thối trong làng chính trị. (That scandal left a stench in the political arena.)
Variants and Related Words
- Thối (adj): rotten, putrid, foul-smelling. Used to describe the state of something that produces a "mùi thối".
- Thịt thối. (Rotten meat.)
- Mùi hôi (n): a bad smell, an unpleasant odor. This is a broader, sometimes slightly less intense term than "mùi thối".
- Mùi hôi của mồ hôi. (The smell of sweat.)
Synonyms
- Stench: A strong and very unpleasant smell.
- Stink: A strong, unpleasant smell (can be slightly more informal).
- Foul odor: A disgustingly offensive smell.
- Putrid smell: A smell of decaying matter.
Related Idioms and Common Phrases
- "Thối như xác chết" / "Thối như chuột chết": As rotten/stinking as a dead body / a dead rat. An intensifying simile.
- Cái hồ này bị ô nhiễm, nước thối như xác chết. (This pond is polluted; the water stinks like a dead body.)