Definition

1. Verb:
   • To aim at; to train (a weapon, gaze, etc.): To direct something (like a gun, eyes, or attention) toward a specific target or goal.
   • To close; to shut (one's eyes): To bring the eyelids together so that they are touching.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to aim):
  • Anh ấy nhắm súng vào mục tiêu. (He aimed the gun at the target.)
  • Cô ấy nhắm mục tiêu trở thành bác sĩ. (She set her sights on the goal of becoming a doctor.)
• Verb (to close eyes):
  • Em bé nhắm mắt ngủ. (The baby closed his eyes to sleep.)
  • Hãy nhắm mắt lại và thư giãn. (Please shut your eyes and relax.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhắm mắt" (idiomatic): Literally "to close one's eyes," often used to mean to die or to ignore something intentionally.
  • Ông ấy đã nhắm mắt xuôi tay. (He has passed away.)
  • Đừng nhắm mắt làm ngơ trước sự thật. (Don't turn a blind eye to the truth.)
• "nhắm mắt mua liều" (idiom): To buy something blindly/without checking; to buy a pig in a poke.
  • Không nên nhắm mắt mua liều. (You shouldn't buy something sight unseen.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhắm nháp (verb): To sip (alcohol) while eating small bites of food. This is a compound word.
  • Họ ngồi nhắm nháp vài chén rượu. (They sat sipping a few cups of rice wine with snacks.)
• Nhắm mục tiêu (verb phrase): To target; to aim for a goal.
  • Công ty đang nhắm mục tiêu vào thị trường trẻ. (The company is targeting the youth market.)

Synonyms

• Nhằm (verb): To intend; to aim for. (Note: "Nhằm" is often used for abstract goals, while "nhắm" can be more physical.)
  • Mục đích của dự án là nhằm nâng cao chất lượng. (The project's purpose is to aim at improving quality.)
• Ngắm (verb): To look at; to gaze; to sight (often for aiming). The meanings of "nhắm" and "ngắm" can overlap.
  • Anh ta ngắm bia trước khi bắn. (He sighted the target before shooting.)
• Nhíu (verb): To squint; to partially close (eyes). This is different from fully closing ("nhắm").
  • Cô ấy nhíu mắt lại dưới ánh nắng. (She squinted her eyes in the sunlight.)

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Nhắm tới: To aim for; to be directed toward.
  • Những lời chỉ trích này nhắm tới giám đốc. (These criticisms are aimed at the director.)
• Nhắm vào: To aim at; to target.
  • Chiến dịch quảng cáo nhắm vào khách hàng nội địa. (The ad campaign targets domestic customers.)

Related Idioms

• Nhắm mắt đưa chân: Literally "to close one's eyes and extend a foot," meaning to proceed blindly or trustingly into a situation (like marriage).
  • Cô ấy nhắm mắt đưa chân lấy một người chưa hiểu rõ. (She blindly married a man she didn't fully know.)

verb

1. to aim at; to train
   • nhắm bắn người nào
     to aim a gun at someone

verb

1. to close; to shut (one's eyes)