Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cold (in a general sense): Describes a state of low temperature, often with a focus on the sensation of coldness.
   • Chilly and damp: Specifically implies a cold feeling that is somewhat wet or humid, contributing to a penetrating chill.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Trời đang rét mướt. (The weather is cold.)
  • Căn phòng không có lò sưởi nên rét mướt. (The room has no heater, so it is chilly and damp.)
  • Tôi cảm thấy rét mướt trong bộ quần áo ướt. (I feel a damp chill in my wet clothes.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "rét mướt" often conveys a more unpleasant, seeping cold than the neutral "lạnh". It is frequently used to describe weather or environments that feel uncomfortably cold and moist.

Variants and Related Words

• Rét (adj): cold, chilly (often used for weather).
  • Trời rét đậm. (The weather is bitterly cold.)
• Lạnh (adj): cold (general term for low temperature).
  • Nước lạnh. (Cold water.)
• Lạnh lẽo (adj): cold and desolate, bleak (often for places or atmospheres).
  • Căn nhà bỏ hoang trông lạnh lẽo. (The abandoned house looks bleak and cold.)

Synonyms

• Chilly: unpleasantly cold.
• Damp cold: cold with moisture in the air.

Related Idioms

• Rét mướt cắt da cắt thịt: describes an intensely cold feeling that seems to cut through skin and flesh.
  • Mùa đông ở miền Bắc, cái rét mướt cắt da cắt thịt. (In the Northern winter, the damp chill cuts to the bone.)

1. Cold (nói khái quát)