Definition

1. Verb:

   • To wind; to meander: To follow a course with many smooth bends or curves, like a river or road.
   • To undulate; to wave: To move with a smooth, wavy, sinuous motion, like a snake or a ribbon in the air.

2. Adjective:

   • Winding; sinuous; undulating: Describing something that has a series of graceful curves or waves.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con sông uốn lượn qua cánh đồng. (The river winds through the fields.)
  • Vũ công uốn lượn với dải lụa. (The dancer undulated with a silk ribbon.)
• Adjective:
  • Con đường uốn lượn dẫn lên đỉnh đồi. (The winding road leads to the hilltop.)

Advanced Usage

• "uốn lượn khúc khuỷu": to twist and turn sharply (more abrupt than just "uốn lượn").
  • Đường đèo uốn lượn khúc khuỷu rất nguy hiểm. (The mountain pass twists and turns sharply, which is very dangerous.)

Variants and Related Words

• Uốn éo (v): to wiggle; to move the body in exaggerated, sinuous motions, often with a coquettish connotation.
  • Cô ấy uốn éo trên sân khấu. (She wiggled her body on stage.)
• Lượn sóng (v): to move in waves; to fluctuate (often used for economic or signal waves).
  • Đường biểu đồ lượn sóng. (The graph line fluctuates.)

Synonyms

• Wind: to follow a twisting course.
• Meander: to wind leisurely.
• Undulate: to move with a smooth wave-like motion.
• Sinuous: having many curves and turns (adjective).

Related Idioms

• Uốn ba tấc lưỡi: to be eloquent or persuasive (literally: to bend a three-inch tongue).
  • Anh ta uốn ba tấc lưỡi thuyết phục mọi người. (He used his silver tongue to persuade everyone.)