rũa
Definition
- Verb:
- To be rotten, to decompose: "rũa" describes the state of organic matter breaking down and decaying, often due to bacterial action or time. It indicates a process of putrefaction.
- To be corroded, to be rusted (less common, often for metals): In some contexts, it can describe the process of metal corroding or rusting away.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Trái cây để lâu ngày đã bắt đầu rũa. (The fruit left for a long time has started to rot.)
- Xác động vật chết trong rừng đã rũa nát. (The carcass of the animal that died in the forest has decomposed completely.)
- Chiếc đinh sắt cắm dưới đất ẩm đã rũa. (The iron nail driven into the damp ground has rusted away.)
Advanced Usage
"rũa nát": completely rotten, decomposed to pieces.
- Chiếc thuyền gỗ bỏ hoang đã rũa nát theo năm tháng. (The abandoned wooden boat has rotted to pieces over the years.)
"rũa rượi" (literary/descriptive): describes a state of being worn out, decayed, or in a pitiful condition, often used metaphorically.
- Căn nhà cũ trông thật rũa rượi. (The old house looks utterly dilapidated.)
Variants and Related Words
Rữa: This is a more common standard variant with the same meaning (to rot, to decompose). "Rũa" is often considered a dialectal or less common form of "rữa".
- Thịt để bên ngoài trời nóng sẽ mau rữa. (Meat left outside in hot weather will spoil quickly.)
Mục (nát): to rot, to decay (often for wood or plant-based materials).
- Thối (rữa): to rot, to putrefy (often with a stronger emphasis on smell).
Synonyms
- Phân hủy: to decompose.
- Hỏng, hư hỏng: to spoil, to go bad (more general for food).
- Ăn mòn: to corrode (specifically for metals).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Bị rũa: to be rotten/to have rotted (passive construction).
- Những tấm ván gỗ đã bị rũa vì mưa nắng. (The wooden planks have been rotted by rain and sun.)
Related Idioms
- Rũa như xác ve: (to be) as rotten as a cicada's carcass; used to describe something very old and decayed.
- Chiếc xe đạp cũ ấy giờ đã rũa như xác ve. (That old bicycle is now as rotten as a cicada's carcass.)
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to be rotten
