Definition

1. Verb:

   • To meander: To follow a winding and turning course, typically used to describe the movement of a river, stream, or road.
   • To snake: To move or lie in a long, twisting, sinuous line.

2. Adjective:

   • Winding / Sinuous: Describing something that has a series of curves or bends, like a meandering path or river.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Con sông uốn khúc qua cánh đồng. (The river meanders through the field.)
  • Con đường uốn khúc lên núi. (The road snakes up the mountain.)

• Adjective:

  • Dòng sông uốn khúc rất đẹp. (The winding river is very beautiful.)
  • Họ đi trên con đường uốn khúc. (They walked on the sinuous path.)

Advanced Usage

• "uốn khúc quanh co": to twist and turn, to wind tortuously.
  • Lối mòn uốn khúc quanh co trong rừng. (The trail twists and turns through the forest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khúc khuỷu (adj): rugged, jagged, full of sharp turns (often for roads or terrain).

  • Đường đèo khúc khuỷu nguy hiểm. (The rugged mountain pass is dangerous.)

• Quanh co (adj/adv): winding, circuitous; in a roundabout way.

  • Anh ấy trả lời một cách quanh co. (He answered in a roundabout way.)

Synonyms

• Meander: to follow a winding course.
• Wind: to have or follow a curving or twisting course.
• Snake: to move or extend with the twisting motion of a snake.
• Sinuous: having many curves and turns.

Related Idioms

• Uốn lượn: to undulate, to curve gracefully (often used for dancing, rivers, or dragons).

  • Con rồng uốn lượn trên bầu trời. (The dragon undulates in the sky.)

• Đường đi nước bước: (lit. the way to go, the steps to take) the ways of the world; the twists and turns of life's journey.

  • Ông ấy hiểu rõ đường đi nước bước trong nghề này. (He understands the ins and outs of this profession.)