Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To moan, to groan: To make a low, prolonged sound expressing physical pain, discomfort, or sometimes great effort.
   • To whine, to complain: To express dissatisfaction, annoyance, or unhappiness in a feeble, persistent, and often irritating manner.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Anh ấy rên rẩm vì đau lưng. (He is moaning because of back pain.)
  • Đứa trẻ rên rẩm đòi mua đồ chơi. (The child is whining to get a toy.)
  • Cô ấy cứ rên rẩm về thời tiết nóng bức. (She keeps complaining about the hot weather.)

Advanced Usage

• "rên rẩm than vãn": To moan and complain incessantly.

  • Anh ta suốt ngày chỉ biết rên rẩm than vãn mà không chịu hành động. (He just spends all day moaning and complaining without taking any action.)

• "tiếng rên rẩm": The sound of moaning/whining.

  • Căn phòng yên tĩnh, chỉ vang lên tiếng rên rẩm của người bệnh. (The room was quiet, only the sound of moaning from the patient could be heard.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rên (v): To moan, to groan. This is the core word; rên rẩm is a reduplicative form that often adds a nuance of being more persistent, weaker, or more irritating.
• Rên rỉ (v): Similar to rên rẩm, meaning to moan or whine plaintively.
• Than vãn (v): To lament, to complain (often more about misfortune than physical pain).

Synonyms

• Kêu ca (v): To complain, to grumble.
• Càu nhàu (v): To grumble, to mutter in discontent.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Rên như trâu rống: To moan/groan very loudly (like a bellowing buffalo). This idiom emphasizes the loudness and intensity of the moaning.

  • Bị đau răng, nó rên như trâu rống. (Having a toothache, he moaned very loudly.)

• Rên rẩm như cha chết: To whine/complain as if one's father had died. This idiom is used critically to describe excessive, unreasonable complaining.

  • Chỉ bị trầy xước nhẹ mà nó rên rẩm như cha chết. (He only got a minor scratch but he's whining as if it's the end of the world.)

1. Moan, lamen