ngạt thở
Definition
Adjective:
- Suffocating / Breathless: Describes the state of being unable to breathe or finding it extremely difficult to breathe due to a lack of air or the presence of harmful gases.
- Oppressive / Stifling: Used figuratively to describe an atmosphere, situation, or feeling that is overwhelmingly tense, restrictive, or uncomfortable.
Verb Phrase (to experience suffocation):
- To suffocate / To be choked: The act of having one's breathing severely impeded.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Căn phòng kín làm tôi cảm thấy ngạt thở. (The stuffy room made me feel suffocated.)
- Bầu không khí trong cuộc họp thật ngạt thở. (The atmosphere in the meeting was truly oppressive.)
- Verb Phrase:
- Nạn nhân có thể ngạt thở vì khói. (The victim could suffocate from smoke.)
Advanced Usage
- "sự ngạt thở": (noun) suffocation, asphyxiation.
- Sự ngạt thở là nguyên nhân tử vong. (Suffocation was the cause of death.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngạt (adj/v): to be choked or stifled; often used similarly but can be less severe.
- Tôi ngạt mũi vì cảm. (My nose is stuffed up because of a cold.)
- Nghẹt thở (adj): synonymous with "ngạt thở," meaning breathless or suffocating.
Synonyms
- Suffocating: causing difficulty in breathing.
- Stifling: making one feel constrained and unable to breathe freely.
- Oppressive: uncomfortably overwhelming or intense.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Cảm giác ngạt thở: a feeling of suffocation (often emotional).
- Cô ấy có cảm giác ngạt thở trong mối quan hệ đó. (She had a suffocating feeling in that relationship.)
- Làm ngạt thở: to suffocate (someone/something).
- Khí độc làm ngạt thở các loài cá. (The toxic gas suffocated the fish.)