Definition

1. Adverb:

   • With a loud crashing or banging sound: Describes a sudden, heavy sound of something collapsing, slamming, or striking with force.
   • Suddenly and intensely dark: Describes the sky or weather darkening abruptly and heavily.

2. Verb:

   • To darken suddenly, to cloud over: Refers to the sky or weather becoming dark quickly.
   • To become gloomy or sullen: Describes a person's face suddenly turning dark or stern with anger or displeasure.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:

  • Cánh cửa đóng sầm một cái. (The door slammed shut with a bang.)
  • Trời tối sầm lại trước cơn bão. (The sky darkened intensely before the storm.)

• Verb:

  • Mặt trời khuất sau mây, bầu trời sầm lại. (The sun hid behind the clouds, and the sky darkened.)
  • Nghe tin đó, mặt anh ta sầm xuống ngay. (Upon hearing that news, his face immediately became sullen.)

Advanced Usage

• "sầm sầm": This is a reduplicated form, often used to describe a continuous, rumbling, or thunderous sound.
  • Tiếng sấm rền vang sầm sầm. (The thunder rumbled continuously.)
  • Đoàn xe tải chạy sầm sầm trên đường. (The convoy of trucks rumbled down the road.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sầm sập: (Adverb) Describes the sound of something collapsing or falling down in a heap.
  • Căn nhà cũ đổ sầm sập. (The old house collapsed with a crash.)
• Sầm uất: (Adjective) Bustling, prosperous, and crowded (used for places). This is a compound word with a different core meaning related to busyness, not directly from 'sầm'.
  • Khu phố cổ rất sầm uất. (The old quarter is very bustling.)

Synonyms

• Ầm ầm: (Adverb) Rumblingly, with a continuous loud noise.
• Ụp: (Verb) To collapse, to fall down (often with a sound).
• Tối sầm: (Phrase) To become pitch dark (combining 'tối' and 'sầm').

Related Phrases

• Đóng sầm cửa: To slam the door shut.
  • Cậu bé tức giận đóng sầm cửa lại. (The angry boy slammed the door shut.)
• Mặt sầm lại: To have one's face darken (with emotion).
  • Ông chủ sầm mặt lại khi thấy báo cáo. (The boss's face darkened when he saw the report.)

Related Idioms

• Sầm sét: (Noun) Thunder and lightning; often used metaphorically for a sudden, fierce outburst of anger.
  • Cơn thịnh nộ của ông ấy như sầm sét. (His rage was like thunder and lightning.)

adv

1. bang, slam

verb

1. to darken, to cloud over