Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Rotten, spoiled, addled: Describes something, especially an egg, that has gone bad, is decomposing, or is no longer fresh.
   • Festering, infected: Describes a wound, sore, or boil that is severely inflamed, filled with pus, and causing significant pain.

2. Noun:

   • Large, dangerous boil/abscess: Refers to a large, painful, and often dangerous boil or abscess, typically more severe than a common pimple or minor sore.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Trứng gà này bị ung rồi, không ăn được. (This chicken egg is rotten/addled, it's inedible.)
  • Vết thương không được chăm sóc đã bắt đầu ung. (The untreated wound has started to fester.)

• Noun:

  • Anh ấy bị nổi một cái ung rất to và đau ở lưng. (He has a very large and painful boil/abscess on his back.)
  • Cái ung đó cần phải được bác sĩ rạch ra và dẫn lưu. (That abscess needs to be lanced and drained by a doctor.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cái sảy nảy cái ung": This is a common Vietnamese proverb. It means "A small spark can start a great fire" or "A small problem can lead to a big disaster." It warns that neglecting minor issues can allow them to grow into major, dangerous ones.
  • Đừng coi thường lỗi nhỏ, cái sảy nảy cái ung đấy. (Don't underestimate small mistakes, a small spark can start a great fire.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ung nhọt (n): A compound noun meaning "boils and sores," often used to refer to skin infections or, metaphorically, to social ills.
  • Cần thanh trừ những ung nhọt của xã hội. (It's necessary to eradicate the sores/ills of society.)
• Ung thối (adj): An emphatic compound adjective meaning "rotten and putrid," describing something severely decayed.
  • Mùi ung thối bốc lên từ đống rác. (A rotten and putrid smell rose from the garbage pile.)

Synonyms

• Thối (adj): Rotten, putrid (general term for decay).
• Hỏng (adj): Spoiled, broken (can refer to food or mechanical things).
• Nhọt (n): Boil, pimple (generally smaller than "ung").

Related Idioms

• "Cái sảy nảy cái ung": As explained above, this is the primary idiom associated with the word. It uses "ung" in its noun form (a large, dangerous boil) as a metaphor for a major disaster arising from a minor origin.

adj

1. addle, rotten