Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bend or curve downwards/inwards: Describes something that is not straight but has a distinct downward or inward curve.
   • To grip or hold tightly by bending/clasping: Describes the action of using a bent or curved part of the body (like legs or arms) to grasp and hold something firmly.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to curve):
  • Chiếc mũi của ông ấy quặp xuống. (His nose curves downward.)
  • Sừng con trâu quặp vào phía trong. (The water buffalo's horns curve inward.)
• Verb (to grip):
  • Cậu bé quặp chặt lấy cành cây. (The boy gripped the tree branch tightly [with his legs].)
  • Con khỉ quặp đuôi vào cành để giữ thăng bằng. (The monkey curled its tail around the branch to keep its balance.)

Advanced Usage

• "quặp đuôi": Literally "to curve/tuck the tail". An idiom describing an animal (like a dog) running away with its tail between its legs, implying fear, defeat, or submission.
  • Con chó bị đánh quặp đuôi bỏ chạy. (The beaten dog ran away with its tail between its legs.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quắp (verb): A near-synonym often used interchangeably with , especially for the meaning of gripping or having a hooked shape. It can sometimes imply a tighter or more hooked form.
  • Móng vuốt quắp lại. (The talons clenched.)
• Cong (verb): To curve or bend. This is a more general term, while specifies a downward or inward direction.
• Gập (verb): To fold or bend sharply.

Synonyms

• Cong xuống: To curve down.
• Gập vào: To fold/bend inwards.
• Kẹp chặt: To clamp/tightly pinch (emphasizes the holding action).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Râu quặp: A descriptive phrase for a moustache that curves distinctly downwards at the ends.
  • Ông cụ để bộ râu quặp. (The old man wears a downward-curving moustache.)

verb

1. to bend down; to curve down
   • râu quặp
     to have curved down moustaches. to hold between one's legs