trở mùi
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To turn, to spoil, to go off: Refers to food, especially fermented or preserved items like fish sauce, beginning to develop a bad, sour, or rotten smell. It indicates the initial stage of spoilage where the odor becomes unpleasant.
- To become tainted: Can be used metaphorically to describe a situation, relationship, or atmosphere that has soured or turned bad.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Nước mắm trở mùi. (The fish sauce has turned/gone off.)
- Trời nóng khiến thức ăn dễ trở mùi. (Hot weather makes food spoil easily.)
- Bầu không khí trong phòng họp bỗng trở mùi. (The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly turned sour.)
Advanced Usage
- Used primarily with perishable goods, especially those with strong inherent smells like fermented seafood, meats, or dairy products. The phrase emphasizes the change in smell as the primary indicator of spoilage.
Variants and Related Words
- Hỏng (adj/verb): spoiled, broken. A more general term for something that is broken or has spoiled.
- Sữa hỏng rồi. (The milk is spoiled.)
- Ôi (adj): rancid, spoiled (often used for oily or fatty foods).
- Bơ đã bị ôi. (The butter has gone rancid.)
- Thiu (adj): spoiled, soured (often used for cooked rice or starches).
- Cơm bị thiu. (The rice has soured.)
Synonyms
- To spoil: To become unfit for use or consumption.
- To go bad: To decay or rot.
- To turn sour: To become acidic or unpleasant in smell/taste (literal and metaphorical).
Related Idioms and Expressions
- Trở gió trở trời: Literally "the wind and weather turn," meaning a sudden change in circumstances, often for the worse. This shares the metaphorical use of "trở" (to turn/change) to indicate a negative shift.
- Thay lòng đổi dạ: To change one's heart and mind (about feelings or loyalty). This relates to the metaphorical sense of a positive situation turning negative.