Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Smudged; smeared; dirty with streaks or blotches: Describes something, typically a surface or writing, that is marked or stained in an untidy way, often making it unclear or messy.
   • Scrawled; having messy handwriting: Refers to writing that is scribbled or written carelessly, making it difficult to read.

2. Verb (dialectal usage):

   • To tempt or entice (by showing something desirable): A dialectal meaning where one shows something, like food or a treat, to someone (especially a child) to attract or tempt them.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Trang vở bị mực làm nhem hết. (The notebook page was smudged all over with ink.)
  • Chữ viết tay của nó rất nhem, khó đọc. (His handwriting is very scrawled and hard to read.)

• Verb (dialectal):

  • Bà đưa chiếc bánh ra nhem đứa cháu. (The grandmother showed the cake to tempt her grandchild.)

Advanced Usage

• "lem nhem": This is the most common compound form, intensifying the meaning to "very smudged," "blotchy," or "messily scribbled."
  • Bức vẽ của đứa trẻ bị lem nhem màu nước. (The child's drawing was smudged with watercolors.)
  • Anh ấy viết lem nhem vài dòng rồi vứt giấy đi. (He scrawled a few messy lines and then threw the paper away.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhem nhem (adj, dialectal): An informal, childish, or dialectal reduplication, often used as an exclamation like "yum yum!" when showing tasty food to tempt someone.

  • Em bé reo "nhem nhem" khi thấy kẹo. (The baby exclaimed "yum yum!" upon seeing candy.)

• Lem (adj/verb): To smudge; to stain. "Nhem" is often considered a dialectal variant of "lem."

  • Cẩn thận kẻo lem mực. (Be careful not to smudge the ink.)

Synonyms

• Smudged: Marked with a dirty smear.
• Smeared: Spread a substance messily over a surface.
• Scrawled: Written in a hurried, careless way.
• Entice: To attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage (for the verb form).

Related Idioms

• Viết lem nhem: To write in a scrawl; to scribble messily.
  • Đừng viết lem nhem vào sách giáo khoa. (Don't scribble messily in the textbook.)

1. (địa phương)
   • như lem
     lem nhem Scrawling
   • Viết lem nhem
     To scrawl, to have a scrawling handwriting