Definition

1. Adjective (idiomatic):
   • Feeling of heaviness in the abdomen: The primary meaning describes a physical sensation of fullness, discomfort, or bloating in the stomach or lower abdomen, often after eating.
   • Hard to digest: Used to describe food that causes this sensation of fullness and discomfort because it is rich, dense, or difficult for the stomach to process.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tôi ăn quá no nên cảm thấy rất nặng bụng. (I ate too much so I feel a heavy stomach.)
  • Bánh chưng là món nặng bụng, không nên ăn nhiều vào buổi tối. (Sticky rice cake is heavy food; you shouldn't eat a lot of it at night.)
  • Cô ấy có bầu nên hay bị nặng bụng. (She is pregnant so she often feels a heavy abdomen.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used literally for physical discomfort or figuratively to describe a lingering, burdensome thought or worry, similar to "a heavy heart" or something "weighing on one's mind."
  • Vụ việc đó cứ nặng bụng anh ấy mãi. (That matter kept weighing on his mind.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn nặng bụng (verb phrase): to eat something that causes a feeling of heaviness or indigestion.
  • Tôi bị ăn nặng bụng món khoai tây chiên. (The fried potatoes gave me indigestion / sat heavily on my stomach.)

Synonyms

• Bloated: Swollen with fluid or gas.
• Full / Stuffed: Having eaten to capacity.
• Heavy (food): Describing food that is dense and filling, likely to cause discomfort.
• Indigestion: Pain or discomfort in the stomach associated with difficulty digesting food.

Related Idioms

• Nặng lòng: To have a heavy heart; to be deeply concerned or sad about something. This is more specifically for emotional weight.
  • Anh ấy nặng lòng vì phải ra đi. (He has a heavy heart because he has to leave.)

1. Heaviness in the stomach; heavy tummy