Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a spoiled appetite; having no appetite for a main meal: The state of not feeling hungry or finding food unappealing because one has eaten a small snack or something sweet just before the main meal.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đừng ăn bánh ngọt trước giờ cơm, con sẽ ngang dạ đấy. (Don't eat cake before dinner, you'll spoil your appetite.)
  • Tôi cảm thấy hơi ngang dạ vì lỡ ăn một gói bim bim. (I feel a bit like I've lost my appetite because I accidentally ate a bag of chips.)
  • Ăn vặt nhiều quá sẽ dẫn đến tình trạng ngang dạ, không muốn ăn bữa chính. (Eating too many snacks will lead to a spoiled appetite, not wanting to eat the main meal.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a causal context, explaining someone is not hungry. It implies the appetite loss is temporary and self-induced by prior snacking.
• It can describe a physical feeling of fullness that prevents proper eating, not just a lack of desire for food.

Variants and Related Words

• Chán ăn (v): To have anorexia; to lose appetite (a more general or medical term, not necessarily linked to snacking).
• Ăn vặt (v): To snack (the common action that causes "ngang dạ").
• Đầy bụng (adj): To feel bloated/stuffed (describes a physical sensation of fullness, which can be a result of "ngang dạ" or other causes).

Synonyms

• Mất ngon miệng: To lose one's appetite.
• Ăn không ngon miệng: To eat without finding it tasty/appealing.

Related Phrases

• Làm ngang dạ: To cause a spoiled appetite.
  • Kẹo ngọt này sẽ làm ngang dạ mất. (This sweet candy will spoil your appetite.)

Related Idioms

• No bụng đói con mắt: (Lit: Full stomach, hungry eyes). This idiom describes wanting to eat more (with the eyes) despite being physically full. It is related as it touches on the conflict between appetite and satiety, but "ngang dạ" specifically refers to the loss of appetite due to prior eating.

1. Lose one's appetite