Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely soft/tender from overcooking: Describes meat or food that has been cooked for so long it becomes mushy or falls apart easily.
   • Extremely ripe/overripe: Describes fruit that is so ripe it has become soft and pulpy inside.
   • (Dialectal) Extremely fat/chubby: Used to describe a person, especially a child, who is very plump or chubby.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Thịt kho được hầm cho đến khi nục. (The braised pork was stewed until it was falling-apart tender.)
  • Những quả xoài chín nục, ăn rất ngọt. (The mangoes were overripe and very sweet to eat.)
  • Đứa bé bụ bẫm, trông béo nục. (The baby is chubby and looks very plump.)

Advanced Usage

• "nùng nục" (reduplicated form, attenuated meaning): Slightly soft/ripe; conveys a lesser degree than "nục" alone.
  • Trái cây chín nùng nục, vừa ăn. (The fruit is nicely ripe and just right for eating.)
• "nùng nục" (reduplicated form, intensified meaning): Very soft and plump; often used to describe chubby body parts, especially of a baby.
  • Bé có đôi má nùng nục. (The baby has very chubby cheeks.)
• Psychological State (colloquial): Describes a state where pent-up emotions or desires, especially sexual urges, have been suppressed for too long and are about to overflow.
  • Anh ta đã kìm nén quá lâu, giờ sắp nục rồi. (He has suppressed it for too long and is about to burst.)

Variants and Related Words

• cá nục (noun): A type of fish (Short mackerel or Round scad). This is a compound noun where "nục" is part of the name.
• nục nịch (adjective): Plump and firm; describes a healthy, solid plumpness.
  • Cánh tay em bé nục nịch. (The baby's arm is plump and firm.)

Synonyms

• Nhừ (for food): Well-done, tender (from long cooking).
• Bở (for food): Crumbly, soft (often from cooking).
• Ú na ú nần (for people): Very chubby and cute (often for babies).

Notes on Usage

• The primary meanings relate to texture (soft/mushy from cooking or ripening) and body shape (fat/chubby).
• The reduplicated form "nùng nục" is very common and can have either an attenuated or intensified meaning depending on context.
• The psychological usage is highly colloquial and specific.
• In the compound "cá nục", the word "nục" does not carry its adjectival meaning; it is a fixed name for the fish.

1. xem cá nục