nhen nhúm
Definition
- Verb:
- To begin to build up; to start to form or develop: Refers to the initial, often small-scale, stages of creating, establishing, or nurturing something, such as a project, a feeling, a business, or a hope. It implies a fragile, nascent state that is just starting to emerge or take shape.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Họ đang nhen nhúm một doanh nghiệp nhỏ. (They are starting to build up a small business.)
- Một tia hy vọng mới nhen nhúm trong lòng cô ấy. (A new hope is beginning to form in her heart.)
- Công việc kinh doanh mới chỉ nhen nhúm. (The business venture has only just begun to develop.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a connotation of something small, delicate, and requiring care or favorable conditions to grow further. It is frequently used with abstract concepts like hopes, plans, or dreams, as well as with concrete endeavors.
Variants and Related Words
- Nhen nhóm (v): A common variant spelling with the same meaning.
- Ý tưởng đó mới chỉ nhen nhóm. (That idea has only just begun to form.)
Synonyms
- To germinate: To begin to grow or develop.
- To kindle: To start a feeling or idea.
- To initiate: To cause a process to begin.
- To foster (in its early stages): To encourage the development of something.
Related Idioms
- While "nhen nhúm" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its meaning is idiomatic. It describes the very inception of a process, similar to the English phrases "to spark something" or "to plant the seeds of something."
- Anh ấy đã nhen nhúm ước mơ trở thành bác sĩ từ nhỏ. (He kindled the dream of becoming a doctor from a young age.)