Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Numb; having lost sensation: Describes a part of the body that has lost feeling, often due to cold, pressure, or poor circulation, resulting in a tingling or "pins and needles" sensation.
   • Stiff; insensible: Describes a limb or body part that feels rigid, difficult to move, and lacking normal sensation.

2. Noun (archaic/zoological):

   • Rhinoceros: An abbreviation for "tê giác" (rhinoceros), a large mammal with one or two horns on its snout. This usage is now rare on its own.

3. Demonstrative (regional/dialectal):

   • That; over there: Used in some Southern Vietnamese dialects to mean "that" or "the other side."

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngồi lâu, chân tôi bị tê. (Sitting for a long time, my leg went numb.)
  • Tay cô ấy tê cóng vì lạnh. (Her hand was stiff and numb from the cold.)
• Noun:
  • Sừng tê là một mặt hàng quý. (Rhinoceros horn is a valuable commodity.) [Note: Uses implied "tê giác"]
• Demonstrative (dialectal):
  • Nhà nó ở bên tê sông. (His house is on the other side of the river.)

Advanced Usage

• "tê liệt": to be paralyzed; paralyzed.
  • Bệnh nhân bị tê liệt nửa người. (The patient is paralyzed on one side of the body.)
  • This compound word combines the numbness of "tê" with the cessation of function in "liệt."

Variants and Related Words

• Tê giác (n): Rhinoceros. The full, standard term.
  • Tê giác Java đang có nguy cơ tuyệt chủng. (The Javan rhinoceros is endangered.)
• Tê cóng (adj): Numb with cold; frozen stiff.
  • Những ngón tay tê cóng. (Fingers numb with cold.)
• Tê bại (adj, literary): Paralyzed; incapacitated (often used figuratively).
  • Hệ thống giao thông tê bại sau bão. (The transport system was paralyzed after the storm.)

Synonyms

• Numb: Lacking physical sensation.
• Insensible: Incapable of feeling.
• Stiff: Not easily bent or moved.

Related Idioms

• Tê tái: (describes a feeling) Aching with numbness; a deep, penetrating feeling of cold, sadness, or pain.
  • Nghe tin dữ, lòng cô ấy tê tái. (Hearing the bad news, her heart ached with sorrow.)
• Chết lặng (or) tê điếng: To be stunned/shocked into silence (similar to "numb with shock").
  • Mọi người đứng tê điếng trước cảnh tượng. (Everyone stood stunned/numb before the scene.)

adj

1. numbed, insensible, stiff