tắt ngấm
Definition
- Adjective (informal):
- Completely extinguished / utterly out: Describes a fire, flame, or light source that has gone out entirely, with no remaining embers or glow. It emphasizes a final, absolute state of being off.
- Figuratively dead / completely finished: Used to describe an activity, plan, emotion, or trend that has ended completely and definitively, with no chance of revival.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ngọn lửa đã tắt ngấm sau cơn mưa. (The flame was completely extinguished after the rain.)
- Hy vọng của họ tắt ngấm sau tin tức đó. (Their hope died completely after that news.)
- Đèn đường bị tắt ngấm cả khu phố. (The street lights were utterly out in the whole neighborhood.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used for dramatic emphasis on finality. It carries a stronger connotation than just "tắt" (off/out).
- Can describe the end of non-physical things like feelings, enthusiasm, or life.
- Sự nhiệt tình trong anh ấy đã tắt ngấm. (The enthusiasm in him was completely gone.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tắt (v): to turn off, to extinguish. The root verb without the emphatic finality.
- Hãy tắt đèn khi ra khỏi phòng. (Please turn off the light when leaving the room.)
- Tắt ngúm (adj, informal): A synonymous variant, also meaning completely out or finished.
Synonyms
- Extinguished: (for fire/light) no longer burning.
- Snuffed out: ended suddenly and completely.
- Dead: (figurative) having ceased entirely.
Related Idioms
- While "tắt ngấm" itself is an idiomatic phrase, it is used in contexts similar to the English idiom "dead in the water" for plans or projects.
- Dự án đó tắt ngấm từ lâu. (That project has been dead in the water for a long time.)