Definition

Adjective Describes a minor, superficial injury to the skin, typically resulting from friction or scraping against a rough surface. It involves the outer layer of skin being broken or scraped off, but not deeply. The equivalent English term is scratched or grazed.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đầu gối của đứa trẻ bị sầy sau khi ngã. (The child's knee was scratched after falling.)
  • Cẩn thận kẻo sầy tay khi làm vườn. (Be careful not to graze your hands while gardening.)
  • Vết sầy nhỏ đó sẽ lành nhanh thôi. (That small scratch will heal quickly.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bị sầy": This is the most common construction, meaning "to get scratched/grazed." It emphasizes the state of having incurred the injury.
  • Nó bị sầy khuỷu tay khi trượt ván. (He got a graze on his elbow while skateboarding.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trầy (adj): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "sầy" to mean scratched or grazed. The difference is subtle and often regional.
  • Trầy xước: A common compound meaning "scratched and scraped," indicating minor abrasions.
• Xước (adj): Specifically refers to a linear scratch, like from a sharp edge (e.g., a cat's claw, a thorn).
• Đứt tay (v): To cut one's hand (a deeper injury than "sầy").

Synonyms

• Trầy (adj): grazed, abraded.
• Xây xát (adj): scraped, abraded (often for multiple small abrasions).

Related Phrases

• Sầy da / Trầy da: To graze the skin.
  • Cậu bé nghịch ngợm thường xuyên bị sầy da đầu gối. (The mischievous boy often grazes the skin on his knees.)

adj

1. scratched