Definition

1. Adjective/Verb phrase:
   • Having a drop too much; to be tipsy/drunk: Refers to the state of having consumed too much alcohol, leading to intoxication and some degree of impaired judgment or clarity.

Usage Examples

• As an adjective/state:
  • Ông ấy đã quá chén trong bữa tiệc tối qua. (He had a drop too much at the dinner party last night.)
  • Đừng để anh ấy lái xe, anh ấy có vẻ đã quá chén rồi. (Don't let him drive; he seems to have had a drop too much.)
• Describing an action:
  • Chúng tôi chỉ định uống một chút, nhưng cuối cùng lại quá chén. (We only intended to have a little drink, but we ended up having a drop too much.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lỡ quá chén": To accidentally or unintentionally drink too much.
  • Tôi chỉ định chúc mừng, nhưng lại lỡ quá chén. (I only meant to toast, but I accidentally had a drop too much.)
• Used to describe a state that is more than just slightly buzzed but may not imply severe drunkenness; it often carries a tone of mild admonishment or regret.

Variants and Related Words

• Say xỉn (adj/verb phrase): To be drunk, intoxicated. This is a more direct and common synonym.
• Ngà ngà say (adj phrase): To be slightly tipsy, pleasantly buzzed. This describes a milder state than "quá chén".
• Chếnh choáng (adj): Dizzy, lightheaded; can be used to describe a feeling from drinking.

Synonyms

• Intoxicated: Affected by alcohol to the point of diminished control.
• Inebriated: A more formal term for being drunk.
• Tipsy: Slightly drunk.

Related Phrases

• Quá liều: To overdose (generally for medicine/drugs, but can be used metaphorically for alcohol in some contexts).
• Quá đà: To go overboard, to exceed limits (can be applied to drinking among other things).

Related Idioms

• Men say bóng giềng: Literally "the wine's drunkenness blames the neighbor"; an idiom meaning to blame others for one's own drunken actions or state. This is closely related to the consequences of being "quá chén".
  • Anh ta quá chén rồi gây gổ, đúng là "men say bóng giềng". (He had a drop too much and started a fight, truly "blaming the neighbor for the wine's drunkenness".)

1. Having a drop too much