Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Plump and firm: Describes a state of being pleasantly fat, chubby, or full-figured with firm, solid flesh, often implying a healthy, robust, and cute appearance. It is typically used for people, especially babies and children, or sometimes for animals.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Em bé có đôi má núc ních. (The baby has chubby, firm cheeks.)
  • Chú lợn con được nuôi tốt nên trông rất núc ních. (The piglet is well-fed so it looks very plump and solid.)
  • Cô ấy không gầy mà hơi núc ních một chút. (She's not thin but a little plump and firm.)

Advanced Usage

• The word núc ních carries a positive, endearing connotation. It describes a desirable, healthy kind of plumpness, not an unhealthy obesity. It is often used affectionately.
• It can sometimes be used humorously or descriptively for objects that are packed full and look solid, though this is less common.
  • Chiếc túi được nhét đầy quần áo, trông núc ních. (The bag was stuffed full of clothes, looking plump and bulging.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nục nịch: A variant pronunciation and spelling with the same meaning as núc ních.
• Béo núc ních / Mập núc ních: Common collocations meaning "plump and firm" or "chubby and solid."
• Mũm mĩm: Another adjective meaning "chubby" or "plump," often used for cheeks, but it doesn't strongly imply the same firmness as núc ních.

Synonyms

• Béo chắc: Plump and firm (a direct synonym from the Vietnamese definition).
• Tròn trịa: Rounded, plump.
• Đầy đặn: Full-figured, well-rounded.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Béo núc ních: This is the standard and most common phrase. The word núc ních is almost always used to modify béo or mập.
  • Đứa trẻ bú sữa mẹ thường béo núc ních. (Breastfed babies are often plump and firm.)

1. Fat but firm