mờm
Definition
- Verb:
- To probe, to test the waters, to sound out: To cautiously and indirectly attempt to ascertain something, such as someone's intentions, opinions, or the feasibility of a situation, without making a firm commitment.
- To coax, to wheedle (less common): To attempt to persuade someone gently or through flattery.
Usage
- Verb:
- Hắn chỉ mờm đấy thôi, đừng có tưởng thực. (He's just testing the waters/sounding it out, don't take it seriously.)
- Cô ấy mờm ý kiến của sếp trước khi đưa ra đề xuất chính thức. (She probed her boss's opinion before making the official proposal.)
Advanced Usage
- "mờm đất" / "mờm đường": An idiom meaning to scout or reconnoiter a situation, literally "to probe the land/road."
- Chúng tôi phải đi mờm đường trước khi quyết định đầu tư. (We had to scout the situation/reconnoiter before deciding to invest.)
Variants and Related Words
- Dò xét (verb): To investigate, to probe. A more common synonym for the "testing" aspect.
- Thăm dò (verb): To survey, to probe, to sound out. Very close in meaning to the primary sense of "mờm."
- Nịnh (verb): To flatter. Related to the less common "coaxing" sense.
Synonyms
- Thăm dò: To survey, to probe.
- Dò hỏi: To inquire cautiously.
- Ướm thử: To try out tentatively.
Related Phrases
- Tâter le terrain (French loan concept): This French phrase, meaning "to feel out the terrain," perfectly captures the core meaning of "mờm" and is sometimes used in Vietnamese contexts to explain it.
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(ít dùng) Coax, bladish
