thèm
Definition
- Verb:
- To crave, to desire strongly: "Thèm" expresses a strong physical or psychological desire for something, often something specific.
- To deign, to condescend: "Thèm" is used in negative constructions to indicate that someone does not consider something or someone worthy of their attention or action.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to crave):
- Tôi thèm một ly cà phê đá. (I crave an iced coffee.)
- Trời nóng, trẻ con thèm kem. (The weather is hot, the children crave ice cream.)
- Verb (to deign - used negatively):
- Nó không thèm nhìn tôi. (He didn't deign to look at me.)
- Cô ấy chẳng thèm trả lời tin nhắn. (She couldn't be bothered to reply to the message.)
Advanced Usage
- "Thèm thuồng": This reduplicative form intensifies the meaning of craving.
- Nhìn món ăn mà thèm thuồng. (Looking at the food with intense craving.)
- "Thèm nhỏ dãi" / "Thèm chảy nước miếng": Literally "to crave until drooling," used to emphasize an extreme craving.
- Mùi bánh mì nướng khiến tôi thèm chảy nước miếng. (The smell of toast makes me drool with craving.)
- "Không thèm" + Verb: A common negative construction showing disdain or refusal to engage.
- Nó giận nên không thèm nói chuyện. (He's angry so he refuses to talk.)
Variants and Related Words
- Thèm muốn (verb phrase): To desire, to long for (combines "thèm" and "muốn" for emphasis).
- Cô ấy thèm muốn được đi du lịch. (She longs to travel.)
- Thèm khát (verb phrase): To thirst for, to yearn for (often for abstract things).
- Thèm khát tự do. (To thirst for freedom.)
Synonyms
- Khao khát (verb): To yearn, to long for (often for grand or abstract desires).
- Mong muốn (verb): To wish, to desire (more general and less intense than "thèm").
- Ước (verb): To wish (often for hypothetical or future things).
Related Phrases
- Ăn cho đỡ thèm: To eat a little to curb the craving.
- Tôi ăn một miếng bánh cho đỡ thèm. (I ate a piece of cake to curb the craving.)
Idioms
- Thèm như mèo thèm mỡ: An idiom meaning "to crave intensely," literally "to crave like a cat craves fat."
- Nó thèm thuốc lá như mèo thèm mỡ. (He craves cigarettes intensely.)
- Không thèm đếm xỉa đến: To not deign to pay any attention to; to completely ignore.
- Anh ta không thèm đếm xỉa đến lời khuyên của tôi. (He didn't deign to pay any attention to my advice.)
verb
-
to crave for to deign, condescend
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