Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Weak and intermittent: Describes a light, sound, or phenomenon that is faint, not strong, and flickers or appears/disappears irregularly.
   • Dim and flickering: Specifically refers to a light source that is not bright and seems to be on the verge of going out, often wavering.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ánh đuốc nhấp nhem trong đêm rừng sâu. (The torchlight flickered weakly in the deep forest night.)
  • Chỉ còn ngọn nến nhấp nhem trên bàn. (Only a flickering candle remained on the table.)
  • Ánh sáng nhấp nhem từ chiếc đèn dầu. (The weak, intermittent light from the oil lamp.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhấp nhem" to describe memory or consciousness: Used figuratively to describe something vague, unclear, or fading, like a distant memory or a state between sleep and wakefulness.
  • Ký ức về tuổi thơ chỉ còn nhấp nhem. (Memories of childhood are now just faint and flickering.)
  • Anh ấy trong trạng thái nhấp nhem nửa tỉnh nửa mê. (He was in a drowsy, half-awake state.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chập chờn (adj): Flickering, unsteady (often for light); also used for something unstable or fluctuating. It is a very close synonym.
  • Ánh đèn chập chờn. (The light flickered.)
• Lập lòe (adj): Twinkling, sparkling intermittently (like fireflies or distant lights). It often implies more points of light or a faster intermittent pattern than .
  • Đom đóm bay lập lòe. (Fireflies flew, twinkling.)

Synonyms

• Lờ mờ (adj): Dim, vague, indistinct.
• Thoáng qua (adj/adv): Fleeting, passing briefly.
• Yếu ớt (adj): Feeble, weak (can apply to light, sound, or health).

Related Phrases

• Ánh sáng nhấp nhem: Flickering light.
• Tiếng động nhấp nhem: (Figurative) Intermittent, faint sounds.
• Ký ức nhấp nhem: Flickering, vague memories.

Related Idioms

• "Nhấp nhem như ngọn đèn trước gió": (As flickering as a lamp in the wind) – Describes something very unstable, precarious, or on the verge of disappearing.
  • Sức khỏe của ông cụ nhấp nhem như ngọn đèn trước gió. (The old man's health is as flickering as a lamp in the wind.)

1. weak and intermittent
   • ánh đuốc nhấp nhem
     The weak and intermittent light of a torch