tiềm tiệm
Definition
- Adjective:
- Passable; acceptable; so-so: Describes something that is neither very good nor very bad, but just adequate or satisfactory. It indicates a moderate, middling, or barely sufficient quality or state.
- Just enough; barely sufficient: Can describe a quantity or condition that is adequate to meet a basic need, but with little or nothing to spare.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Công việc này làm cũng tiềm tiệm. (This job is just passable.)
- Thu nhập tiềm tiệm đủ sống. (The income is just enough to get by.)
- Món ăn có vị tiềm tiệm, không đặc biệt. (The dish tastes so-so, nothing special.)
Advanced Usage
- The word tiềm tiệm is considered somewhat literary or old-fashioned in modern Vietnamese. In everyday speech, tàm tạm is a much more common and direct synonym with the same meaning.
Variants and Related Words
- Tàm tạm (adj): So-so; passable; just okay. This is the standard, more frequently used variant.
- Kết quả thi của nó tàm tạm thôi. (His exam results were just so-so.)
Synonyms
- Passable: Just good enough to be accepted; tolerable.
- Adequate: Satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.
- So-so: Neither very good nor very bad; mediocre.
- Barely sufficient: Only just enough.
Related Idioms
- Tiềm tiệm đủ: Just barely enough; sufficient to get by.
- Số tiền đó tiềm tiệm đủ cho một tháng. (That amount of money is just barely enough for one month.)