Definition

1. Conjunction / Adverbial Phrase:
   • Like: Used to draw a direct comparison between two things, indicating similarity or resemblance.
   • As if / As though: Used to introduce a hypothetical or unreal comparison, often describing a manner or appearance that suggests something is true.

Usage Examples

• Like:
  • Anh em như thể tay chân. (Siblings are like limbs of a body.)
• As if / As though:
  • Nó chạy như thể có ma đuổi. (He ran as if a ghost were chasing him.)
  • Cô ấy nói như thể cô ấy biết mọi chuyện. (She talks as though she knows everything.)

Advanced Usage

• "như thể là": A slightly more emphatic form meaning "as if it is/was".
  • Căn phòng im lặng như thể là không có ai ở nhà. (The room was quiet as if no one was home.)

Variants and Related Words

• Như (conjunction): Like, as. A simpler and more common comparative word.
  • Trắng như tuyết. (White as snow.)
• Giống như (conjunction): Similar to, just like. Emphasizes resemblance.
  • Giọng cô ấy giống như mẹ cô. (Her voice is just like her mother's.)

Synonyms

• Like: having the same characteristics or qualities.
• As if / As though: used to say that something is like something else, or that something appears to be true.

Related Idioms

• Như thể khỉ ho cò gáy: As if deserted; describing a place that is eerily quiet and empty (like "the middle of nowhere").
  • Khu phố này vắng tanh như thể khỉ ho cò gáy. (This neighborhood is deserted as if it's the middle of nowhere.)

1. Like
   • Anh em như thể tay chân (ca dao)
     Brother are like limbs of a body
2. As if, as though
   • Nó chạy như thể có ma đuổi
     He ran as though the devil was after him