Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bend; to curl; to curve: To make a long, flexible object become curved or take on a specific shape.
   • To shape; to mold; to train: To teach, guide, or gradually bring someone or something into conformity with rules, standards, or proper behavior.
   • (Informal, of a child) To be fussy; to whine; to act spoiled: To cry or act up in a spoiled manner to get one's way or be pampered.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To bend/curve):
  • Anh ấy uốn thanh sắt thành một vòng tròn. (He bent the iron rod into a circle.)
  • Cô ấy đi uốn tóc ở tiệm. (She went to the salon to curl her hair.)
• Verb (To shape/train):
  • Giáo viên phải biết cách uốn nắn học sinh. (A teacher must know how to mold students.)
  • Chúng ta cần uốn bản thân theo kỷ luật. (We need to discipline ourselves.)
• Verb (Informal: to be fussy):
  • Đứa trẻ bắt đầu uốn khi không được mua đồ chơi. (The child started whining when he wasn't bought a toy.)
  • Con bé rất hay uốn với bà. (The little girl often acts spoiled with her grandmother.)

Advanced Usage

• "Uốn lưỡi": To twist one's words; to speak insincerely or deceitfully.
  • Đừng nghe lời anh ta, anh ta chỉ biết uốn lưỡi. (Don't listen to him, he only knows how to twist his words.)
• "Uốn nắn": To correct; to guide and shape (often behavior or character).
  • Cha mẹ có trách nhiệm uốn nắn con cái từ nhỏ. (Parents have the responsibility to shape their children from a young age.)
• "Uốn cong": To bend; to curve (emphasizing the act of making something curved).
  • Sức nóng có thể uốn cong tấm kim loại. (Heat can bend the metal sheet.)

Variants and Related Words

• Uốn éo (verb): To wiggle; to move in a sinuous, twisting manner (often used for walking or dancing).
  • Cô ấy uốn éo trên sàn nhảy. (She wiggled on the dance floor.)
• Uốn lượn (verb): To meander; to wind (often used for rivers, roads, or shapes).
  • Con đường uốn lượn qua những ngọn đồi. (The road winds through the hills.)
• Cong uốn (adjective): Curved; bent.
  • Những chiếc lông vũ có hình dạng cong uốn. (The feathers have a curved shape.)

Synonyms

• Bẻ cong (verb): To bend (by applying force, often with a breaking connotation).
• Làm cong (verb): To make curved.
• Rèn luyện (verb): To train; to practice (for shaping character or skill).
• Nũng nịu (verb): To act cute/sweet to get something; to coax (informal, similar to the "fussy" meaning).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: As a single verb, 'uốn' does not commonly form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. Its combinations are more often compound verbs or fixed phrases, as shown in 'Advanced Usage' and 'Variants'.)

Related Idioms

• "Uốn ba tấc lưỡi": To be very persuasive or eloquent (literally: to twist one's three-inch tongue).
  • Với khả năng uốn ba tấc lưỡi, anh ta thuyết phục được mọi người. (With his ability to be very persuasive, he convinced everyone.)
• "Uốn lưng": To bend one's back; to submit or yield under pressure.
  • Trước sức mạnh của đối thủ, hắn đành phải uốn lưng. (Facing the opponent's strength, he had to yield.)

verb

1. to bend; to curl, to curve