Definition

1. Noun:
   • Biting cold, piercing cold: "rét ngọt" describes a type of cold weather that is dry, windless, and yet deeply penetrating, seeping into one's bones. It is a cold that feels sharp and intense despite the absence of strong wind.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trời đang rét ngọt, mặc dù không có gió. (The weather is a biting cold, even though there's no wind.)
  • Kiểu rét ngọt ở miền Bắc thấm vào tận xương. (The piercing cold in the North seeps right into your bones.)

Advanced Usage

• "cái rét ngọt": the biting cold.
  • Cái rét ngọt của tháng giêng thật khó chịu. (The biting cold of January is really unpleasant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rét (n): cold, cold weather.
  • Trời chuyển rét. (The weather is turning cold.)
• Rét buốt (n): freezing cold, bitterly cold (often implies a cold that causes numbness).
• Rét căm căm (n): a chilling, shivering cold.

Synonyms

• Piercing cold: Cold that feels sharp and penetrating.
• Bitter cold: Intense, severe cold.

Related Idioms

• Rét ngọt như cắt: The cold is biting/sharp as a knife cut. (Emphasizes the sharp, penetrating quality of the cold.)
  • Ngoài trời rét ngọt như cắt. (Outside, the cold is biting as a knife cut.)

1. Biting cold