Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Mucous, gummy, crusty (especially of eyes): Describes eyes that are wet, dirty, or covered with discharge (sleep, rheum).
   • Blurred, smeared, indistinct: Describes something that is unclear, blurry, or messy, often due to being wet or dirty.
   • Petty, insignificant, of low quality: Describes something trivial, minor, or lacking importance or substance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Mucous eyes):
  • Mắt nhèm những dử. (Eyes gummy with sleep.)
  • Đứa bé thức dậy với đôi mắt còn nhèm. (The child woke up with eyes still crusty.)
• Adjective (Blurred/Indistinct):
  • Chữ viết lèm nhèm. (Scrawling/Smeared handwriting.)
  • Tấm ảnh cũ bị nhòe nhèm. (The old photo is blurred and smudged.)
• Adjective (Petty/Insignificant):
  • Công chức lèm nhèm. (A petty official.)
  • Những chuyện nhèm nhẹt. (Trivial/Petty matters.)

Advanced Usage

• "kèm nhèm": To be almost blinded or have vision severely obscured by mucus or tears.
  • Mắt kèm nhèm vì khóc. (Eyes blurred and gummy from crying.)
• "lèm nhèm":
  • To be mucous or messy all over.

    • Mặt mũi lèm nhèm. (Face all smeared and dirty.)
  • To be petty, trivial, or of poor quality.

    • Công việc lèm nhèm. (Petty/Shoddy work.)
  • To write or draw in a scrawled, indistinct manner.

    • Nó viết lèm nhèm mấy chữ. (He scrawled a few words.)
• "như lèm nhèm": An adverbial phrase meaning "in a blurred, messy, or indistinct manner".
  • Chữ viết như lèm nhèm. (Handwriting is all scrawled.)
• "ướt nhèm": Soaking wet, drenched (often with connotations of being unpleasantly wet or tear-stained).
  • Khăn mặt ướt nhèm. (A soaking wet face towel.)
  • Đôi mắt ướt nhèm. (Eyes wet and teary.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lèm nhèm (adj, adv): A reduplicative form of "nhèm", emphasizing the state of being mucous, blurred, messy, or petty.
• Nhèm nhẹt (adj): Synonymous with "lèm nhèm" in the sense of being petty, trivial, or shoddy.
• Nhèm nhoẹt (adj): Similar to "nhèm nhẹt", describing something trivial, messy, or of low quality.

Synonyms

• Dính (adj): Sticky, adhesive. (For the physical state)
• Mờ (adj): Blurry, indistinct. (For visual clarity)
• Vụn vặt (adj): Trivial, petty. (For insignificance)
• Tầm thường (adj): Mediocre, ordinary. (For low quality)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Chuyện nhèm: A trivial/petty matter.
  • Đừng quan tâm đến mấy chuyện nhèm đó. (Don't bother with those petty matters.)
• Làm ăn lèm nhèm: To do business in a shoddy, unprofessional manner.
  • Cửa hàng đó làm ăn lèm nhèm nên chẳng ai tin. (That shop operates in a shoddy way, so no one trusts it.)

1. Be mucous
   • Mắt nhèm những dử
     To have mucous eyes
   • Kèm nhèm
     Be almost blinded by mucus
   • Lèm nhèm
     Be mucous all over
   • Mắt lèm nhèm
     To have eyes mucous all over
2. như lèm nhèm
   • Chữ viết lèm nhèm
     a scrawling handwriting
3. Petty
   • Công chức lèm nhèm
     A petty official