uốn lượn
Definition
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.
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.)