Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Dirty, smeared, grimy: Describes something, typically a surface or face, that is covered with dirt, soot, or stains, making it look unclean and messy.
   • Murky, unclear, muddled: Used figuratively to describe a situation, story, or matter that is confused, obscure, or morally tainted.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau khi sửa xe, tay anh ấy nhọ nhem dầu mỡ. (After fixing the car, his hands were smeared with grease.)
  • Khuôn mặt đứa trẻ nhọ nhem vì bụi đất. (The child's face was grimy with dust.)
  • Vụ việc đó giờ đã trở nên nhọ nhem, khó mà phân định đúng sai. (That matter has now become muddled, making it hard to distinguish right from wrong.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm nhọ nhem thanh danh": to tarnish/sully one's reputation.
  • Hành động đó có thể làm nhọ nhem thanh danh của cả gia đình. (That action could tarnish the reputation of the whole family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lọ lem: This is a direct variant with the same meaning as 'nhọ nhem'. It is often used interchangeably.
  • Cô bé lọ lem trong truyện cổ tích. (The Cinderella in the fairy tale. Note: This is a proper noun usage.)
• Nhọ: (Noun/Adjective) A spot of dirt, a stain; dirty.
  • Áo trắng dính một nhọ mực. (The white shirt got a blot of ink.)

Synonyms

• Bẩn: dirty, unclean.
• Lem luốc: smudged, grimy (often for face/hands).
• Vẩn đục: turbid, muddy (often for liquids or figurative for situations).

Related Idioms

• Đen như cột nhà cháy: (As black as a burnt house post) - An idiom describing something or someone very dirty or blackened, similar to the physical state of 'nhọ nhem'.
  • Sau vụ cháy, đồ đạc đen như cột nhà cháy. (After the fire, the belongings were black as soot.)

1. như lọ lem Smeared