Definition

1. Verb:
   • To gather in a crowd; to throng: Refers to a large number of people coming together quickly and closely, often spontaneously and with a sense of commotion or curiosity.
   • To swarm; to flock around: Describes people congregating densely around a point of interest, event, or incident.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mọi người xúm đông lại xem vụ tai nạn. (People gathered in a crowd to look at the accident.)
  • Bọn trẻ xúm đông quanh người bán kem. (The children swarmed around the ice cream vendor.)
  • Đám đông xúm lại khi nghe thấy tiếng la hét. (The crowd thronged together when they heard the shouting.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a nuance of an unorganized, impromptu, and sometimes noisy gathering. It is typically used for living beings, especially people, and not for inanimate objects.

Variants and Related Words

• Xúm lại (v): to gather around, to cluster around. A more general phrase for a group coming together.

  • Mọi người xúm lại giúp đỡ người bị ngã. (Everyone gathered around to help the person who fell.)

• Tụ tập (v): to assemble, to gather. A more neutral term for people meeting, which can be planned or spontaneous.

  • Họ tụ tập ở quán cà phê mỗi tối. (They gather at the coffee shop every evening.)

Synonyms

• To crowd around: To gather closely around something.
• To throng: To move or gather in large numbers.
• To swarm: To move or assemble in a large, dense group.

Related Idioms

• Xúm xít, xúm xoa: This reduplicative phrase emphasizes the action of many people crowding closely together, often while touching or fussing over something.
  • Cả nhà xúm xít, xúm xoa bên đứa trẻ mới sinh. (The whole family crowded around, fussing over the newborn baby.)