Definitions

1. Adjective:

   • Burnt, scalded: Describes the condition of skin or tissue damaged by heat, fire, or hot liquid.
   • Blistered: Describes skin that has raised, fluid-filled bumps, often as a result of a burn or friction.

2. Verb:

   • To copy, to imitate: To base something on an existing model, pattern, or idea; to adapt or draw inspiration from something else.
   • To estimate, to guess approximately: To make a rough calculation or judgment about an amount, number, or likelihood.

3. Adverb:

   • Approximately, roughly: Used to indicate that a following number or statement is an estimate, not exact.
   • I wonder if...; Is it that...?: Used at the end of a sentence to form a rhetorical question, often expressing doubt, seeking confirmation, or implying "probably not" or "I doubt it."

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Tay cháu bị phỏng nước sôi. (The child's hand was scalded by boiling water.)
  • Sau khi bị cháy nắng, da cô ấy nổi lên những vết phỏng. (After getting sunburned, her skin developed blisters.)

• Verb (to copy/imitate):

  • Kiến trúc của tòa nhà này phỏng theo phong cách cổ điển châu Âu. (The architecture of this building is modeled on European classical style.)
  • Anh ấy phỏng đoán tình hình sẽ diễn biến phức tạp. (He surmised that the situation would develop complicatedly.)

• Adverb (approximately):

  • Căn phòng rộng phỏng 20 mét vuông. (The room is roughly 20 square meters wide.)
  • Tôi phỏng đoán cô ấy khoảng 30 tuổi. (I estimate she is about 30 years old.)

• Adverb (rhetorical question):

  • Làm thế phỏng có ích gì? (Doing it like that, I wonder if it's of any use? / What's the use of doing it like that?)
  • Trời mưa to thế, phỏng anh có đi được không? (It's raining so heavily; do you really think you can go?)

Advanced Usage

• "phỏng theo": Modeled after, adapted from, based on.

  • Bộ phim phỏng theo một câu chuyện có thật. (The movie is based on a true story.)

• "phỏng chừng" / "phỏng đoán": To estimate, to make a conjecture.

  • Chúng tôi chỉ phỏng chừng số lượng người tham dự. (We can only make an educated guess about the number of attendees.)

• "phỏng vấn": To interview (literally: to ask based on estimation/conjecture).

  • Nhà báo đang phỏng vấn một chuyên gia. (The journalist is interviewing an expert.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bỏng (adj): A more common variant for "burnt, scalded." (To have a burnt hand.)
• Phồng (adj): Swollen, bloated. (The foot is blistered and swollen.)
• Phỏng đoán (n): A conjecture, an estimation.
• Ước phỏng (v/n): To estimate roughly; a rough estimate.

Synonyms

• Bắt chước (v): To imitate, to mimic.
• Mô phỏng (v): To simulate, to model.
• Ước lượng (v): To estimate, to gauge.
• Chừng (adv): Approximately, about.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Bị phỏng: To get burnt/scalded.
• Thuốc trị phỏng: Burn ointment/cream.
• Câu hỏi phỏng vấn: Interview question.
• Cuộc phỏng vấn: An interview.

Related Idioms

• "Phỏng có ích gì?": (I wonder) what's the use? / Is it of any use? (Expresses skepticism about the usefulness of an action.)
• "Ăn nói phỏng ước": To speak in an approximate or non-committal way. (Less common, indicates vague or estimated speech.)

adj

1. burnt, scalded

verb

1. to copy, to imitate