Definition

1. Verb:

   • To hold; to grasp: To enclose something within one's hand, with the fingers curled inward.
   • To seize; to take hold of: To grab or capture something, often an abstract concept like power or an opportunity.
   • To understand; to master: To possess knowledge or control over a subject or situation.
   • To form into a compact mass: To squeeze or press something, like rice, into a small, tight ball.

2. Noun:

   • A handful; a fistful: The quantity of a loose material that can be held in one closed hand.
   • A small, compacted mass: A ball or lump formed by squeezing something together.
   • A fist: The shape of a hand when the fingers are tightly curled into the palm.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Cô ấy nắm chặt tay tôi. (She held my hand tightly.)
  • Anh ta nắm lấy cơ hội duy nhất. (He seized the only opportunity.)
  • Bạn phải nắm vững các nguyên tắc cơ bản. (You must master the basic principles.)
  • Mẹ tôi nắm cơm cho bữa trưa. (My mother formed rice balls for lunch.)

• Noun:

  • Cô ấy rắc một nắm muối vào nồi. (She sprinkled a handful of salt into the pot.)
  • Đứa trẻ ăn một nắm cơm. (The child ate a ball of rice.)
  • Anh ấy giơ nắm đấm lên. (He raised his fist.)

Advanced Usage

• "nắm quyền": to hold power, to be in power.

  • Chính đảng đó đã nắm quyền trong nhiều năm. (That political party has held power for many years.)

• "nắm tình hình": to grasp/understand the situation.

  • Trước khi hành động, chúng tôi cần nắm tình hình. (Before acting, we need to understand the situation.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nắm bắt (v): to grasp, to apprehend (often used for ideas or trends).

  • Công ty cần nắm bắt xu hướng thị trường. (The company needs to grasp market trends.)

• Nắm giữ (v): to hold, to possess (often for positions or assets).

  • Ông ấy nắm giữ vị trí giám đốc. (He holds the position of director.)

Synonyms

• Verb: Hold, grasp, clutch, seize, comprehend, control.
• Noun: Handful, fist, clump.

Related Idioms

• Nắm đằng chuôi: To have a firm/secure hold on something; to be in a position of advantage.

  • Trong vụ thương lượng, họ đã nắm đằng chuôi. (In the negotiation, they had the upper hand.)

• Chỉ còn da bọc xương / nắm xương: To be skin and bones; to be extremely thin.

  • Sau trận ốm, bà ấy chỉ còn da bọc xương. (After the illness, she was just skin and bones.)

• Vơ đũa cả nắm: To generalize or judge everyone as the same; to tar everyone with the same brush.

  • Anh không nên vơ đũa cả nắm như vậy. (You shouldn't generalize like that.)

verb

1. to hold; to grasp; to seize
   • nắm lấy cơ hội
     to grasp the opportunity. handful;wisp; fistful
   • một nắm gạo
     a handful of rice