Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very close together, densely packed, tightly clustered: Describes objects, people, or things arranged or growing with minimal space between them, often implying a crowded or thick grouping.
   • Intimate, inseparable (figurative): Describes a very close, tight-knit relationship between people.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Những cây trong rừng mọc sin sít. (The trees in the forest grow very close together.)
  • Dân cư sống sin sít trong các khu ổ chuột. (The population lives densely packed in the slum areas.)
  • Hai đứa trẻ chơi sin sít với nhau cả ngày. (The two children play inseparably together all day.)

Advanced Usage

• "sin sít như sam": As close/loyal as a horseshoe crab (a Vietnamese idiom). Horseshoe crabs are often seen stuck together in pairs. This idiom describes an extremely close, loyal, and inseparable bond, typically between lovers or very close friends.
  • Họ yêu nhau và gắn bó sin sít như sam. (They love each other and are as close as horseshoe crabs.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sít (adj): The root word, meaning close, tight, or dense. "Sin sít" is a reduplicative form (láy) of "sít," intensifying its meaning.
  • Hàng ghế ngồi sít vào nhau. (The rows of seats are close together.)
• Sàn sạt (adj): Another reduplicative word describing a dense, continuous, and rustling sound or appearance (e.g., of leaves), sometimes used in similar contexts of density but focusing on sound/motion.
• Chi chít (adj): Very densely covered or marked (e.g., with spots, scratches, or small objects).
  • Cánh tay nổi mẩn chi chít. (The arm broke out in a dense rash.)

Synonyms

• Dày đặc: Dense, thick (often for abstract things like schedules, or phenomena like fog).
• Ken dày: Packed tightly, crammed.
• Lít nhít (adj, informal): Crowded with many small things or people; bustling.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Khăng khít: Close-knit, intimate (describing relationships). While "sin sít" can describe physical closeness or figurative intimacy, "khăng khít" is used almost exclusively for strong, bonded relationships.
  • Tình bạn khăng khít. (A close-knit friendship.)

1. xem sít (láy)