Definition

1. Verb:
   • To try (a legal case); to adjudicate; to examine judicially: The primary meaning of "thẩm" refers to the careful, formal, and official examination and judgment of a case, typically in a court of law.
   • To absorb; to soak up; to blot: A secondary, less common meaning of "thẩm" is to draw in a liquid, similar to the action of a sponge or blotting paper.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to adjudicate):
  • Tòa án sẽ thẩm vụ án này vào tuần tới. (The court will try this case next week.)
  • Các thẩm phán đang thẩm định lại các chứng cứ. (The judges are re-examining the evidence.)
• Verb (to absorb):
  • Dùng giấy thấm để thẩm cho khô mực. (Use blotting paper to blot the ink dry.)

Advanced Usage

• "thẩm vấn": to interrogate; to question (in a legal or formal context).
  • Luật sư đang thẩm vấn nhân chứng tại tòa. (The lawyer is questioning the witness in court.)
• "thẩm thấu": to permeate; to infiltrate; to be absorbed (often used figuratively).
  • Nước mưa đã thẩm thấu vào lòng đất. (The rainwater has permeated into the ground.)
  • Những tư tưởng mới dần thẩm thấu vào xã hội. (New ideas are gradually infiltrating society.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thẩm phán (n): judge; magistrate.
  • Vị thẩm phán rất công minh. (The judge is very fair.)
• Thẩm định (v): to appraise; to evaluate; to assess officially.
  • Hội đồng sẽ thẩm định giá trị bản thảo. (The committee will appraise the value of the manuscript.)
• Thẩm tra (v): to investigate; to verify (in an official capacity).
  • Cơ quan chức năng đang thẩm tra thông tin. (The authorities are verifying the information.)

Synonyms

• To adjudicate: to make a formal judgment on a legal dispute.
• To examine: to inspect closely and thoroughly.
• To blot: to dry or soak up a liquid with an absorbent material.

Related Idioms

• Thẩm án xử đoán: This formal phrase describes the core judicial process of trying a case and passing a sentence.
  • Công việc của tòa án là thẩm án xử đoán. (The court's work is to try cases and pass judgments.)

verb

1. to suck up