tẩm
Verb: - To soak, to impregnate, to saturate: The primary meaning of "tẩm" is to cause a liquid substance to penetrate or be absorbed into another material, often for a specific purpose like flavoring, preserving, or treating. - To coat, to dredge: In cooking, "tẩm" can also mean to cover or coat a food item, typically with a dry substance like flour or spices, often before frying.
- To soak/impregnate:
- Người ta thường tẩm gỗ với chất bảo quản. (People often impregnate wood with preservative.)
- Để làm món này, bạn phải tẩm thịt với gia vị qua đêm. (To make this dish, you must marinate the meat with spices overnight.)
- To coat/dredge:
- Cá được tẩm bột mì trước khi chiên giòn. (The fish is coated in flour before being fried until crispy.)
- "Tẩm liệm": This is a compound verb specifically used in the context of funeral rites, meaning to prepare a body for burial by wrapping and treating it according to ritual. It is a fixed cultural term.
- Công việc tẩm liệm được thực hiện rất cẩn thận. (The embalming and shrouding were done very carefully.)
- Tẩm bổ (verb phrase): To nourish, to build up one's health (often through food or tonics). This is a common compound.
- Mẹ tôi nấu cháo gà để tẩm bổ cho bố. (My mother cooked chicken porridge to nourish my father.)
- Tẩm ướp (verb): To marinate. This is a near-synonym compound emphasizing the soaking process for food.
- Công đoạn tẩm ướp quyết định hương vị của món nướng. (The marinating stage determines the flavor of the grilled dish.)
- Sự tẩm ướp (noun): The act or process of marination.
- Ngâm: To soak, to steep (often for a shorter time or with the item submerged).
- Thấm: To absorb, to soak in (focuses on the absorption result).
- Ướp: To marinate, to pickle (specifically for food).
Note: As a verb, "tẩm" is typically used with a direct object indicating the substance used for soaking/coating. It does not commonly form phrasal verbs with prepositions. - Tẩm vào: To soak into (something). This structure emphasizes the target of the soaking. - Mùi hương tẩm vào từng trang sách cũ. (The scent soaked into every page of the old book.)
There are no common idioms that use the word "tẩm" in isolation. Its usage is primarily literal or in specific compound terms like "tẩm liệm" or "tẩm bổ".