Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Dark, deep, intense (of color): Describes a color that is very dark, rich, and concentrated, lacking brightness or lightness.
   • Dusky, dim: Can describe a darkening or dimming of light, often at twilight.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bầu trời chuyển sặm trước cơn mưa. (The sky turned dark before the rain.)
  • Cô ấy thích màu xanh sặm hơn là xanh nhạt. (She prefers a deep blue over a light blue.)
  • Ánh sáng trong phòng quá sặm để đọc sách. (The light in the room is too dim for reading.)

Advanced Usage

• "sặm màu": A common compound meaning "dark-colored" or "deep in color".
  • Tấm vải này sặm màu nên rất khó bị bẩn. (This fabric is dark-colored so it's hard to get dirty.)
• Used to describe the natural darkening at a specific time of day.
  • Trời sặm tối. (It's getting dark. / Dusk is falling.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sậm: The more standard and commonly used variant with the same meaning (dark, deep color). "Sặm" is a phonetic variant, often found in specific regional usages or older texts.
  • màu đỏ sậm (dark red)
• Thẫm: A synonym meaning dark, deep (of color).
  • màu xanh thẫm (dark green)
• Tối: Dark (general), often for absence of light rather than color depth.
  • phòng tối (a dark room)

Synonyms

• Đậm: Bold, strong, deep (color).
• Tối màu: Dark-colored.

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Meaning: The core meaning relates specifically to the visual quality of color or light, indicating a high degree of saturation and low brightness. It is not typically used for emotions or abstract concepts.
• Nuance: "Sặm" often implies a natural, inherent darkness or a gradual darkening, rather than an absolute blackness. It suggests depth and richness.

1. Dark
   • Đỏ sậm
     Dark red