ngốn ngấu
Definition
- Adverb:
- Greedily and in large quantities: Describes the manner of consuming something, typically food, with great haste and avidity, as if very hungry or eager.
- To devour / gobble up: Often used with verbs like "eat" (ăn) or "read" (đọc) to indicate doing so rapidly and with intense focus, consuming a large amount at once.
Usage Examples
Adverb (with "ăn" - to eat):
- Đứa trẻ ăn ngốn ngấu như thể chưa ăn gì cả tuần. (The child gobbled up his food as if he hadn't eaten anything all week.)
- Sau buổi tập, họ ngồi ăn ngốn ngấu. (After the practice, they sat and devoured their meal.)
Adverb (extended to other actions):
- Cậu ấy ngốn ngấu đọc hết cuốn tiểu thuyết trong một đêm. (He greedily read the entire novel in one night.)
Advanced Usage
- This word strongly implies a lack of restraint or manners, often due to extreme hunger, enthusiasm, or greed. It paints a vivid picture of someone consuming something voraciously.
Variants and Related Words
- Ngốn (verb): To devour, to consume a large amount quickly. It is the root verb from which "ngốn ngấu" is derived as an adverbial intensifier.
- Nó ngốn hết ba bát cơm. (He devoured three bowls of rice.)
Synonyms
- Greedily: With an excessive desire for more than one needs.
- Voraciously: Consuming food or ideas eagerly and in large amounts.
- Ravenously: Extremely hungry; devouring food eagerly.
Related Idioms
- While "ngốn ngấu" itself is not an idiom, it is commonly used in the fixed adverbial phrase "ăn ngốn ngấu", which directly translates to "to eat greedily/devouringly."
-
Bolt, gobble up; devour
