tua tủa
Definition
- Adjective:
- Bristling; sticking out in many directions: Describes many thin, pointed objects (like thorns, spikes, hairs, or blades) growing or protruding densely and unevenly in various directions, often creating a sharp, untidy, or threatening appearance.
- Densely and sharply protruding: Used to depict a cluster of numerous, prominent, and often jagged points.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Những chiếc gai tua tủa trên thân cây xương rồng. (The spines were bristling all over the cactus stem.)
- Binh lính đứng với những ngọn giáo tua tủa. (The soldiers stood with their spears jutting out.)
- Râu của ông ấy mọc tua tủa. (His beard grew thick and bristly.)
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Can describe abstract things appearing in large, sharp, or aggressive numbers.
- Những tòa nhà chọc trời mọc lên tua tủa. (Skyscrapers rose up in dense, jagged clusters.)
- Bài báo chỉ trích với những lời lẽ tua tủa. (The article was a critique with bristling language.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tua (n): A fringe, tassel, or frayed edge. The reduplication "tua tủa" intensifies the meaning to imply many protruding points.
- Lởm chởm (adj): Jagged, uneven, serrated. Similar to "tua tủa" but often used for larger, rougher edges (like a mountain range), while "tua tủa" emphasizes many thin, pointed projections.
Synonyms
- Bristling: Having short, stiff, prickly hairs or points.
- Spiky: Having many spikes.
- Jutting out: Extending out sharply.
- Prickly: Covered with sharp points.
Related Idioms
- While "tua tủa" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in descriptive phrases to vividly convey an image of dense, sharp proliferation.
- Súng ống tua tủa: (Bristling with guns) – Describing a heavily armed scene.
- Chông sắt tua tủa: (A thicket of iron spikes) – Describing a formidable barrier.