Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Grey: The color created by mixing white and black, similar to the color of ash. It is a neutral color between black and white.
   • Dull, Gloomy: Can describe weather, light, or a mood that is overcast, dim, or lacking in brightness and cheer.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bầu trời hôm nay có màu xám. (The sky is grey today.)
  • Anh ấy mặc một chiếc áo khoác xám. (He is wearing a grey coat.)
  • Tâm trạng cô ấy thật xám xịt. (Her mood is very gloomy.)

Advanced Usage

• "xám xịt": Very gloomy, dull, and dark (often describing weather or mood).

  • Thời tiết mùa đông ở đây lúc nào cũng xám xịt. (The winter weather here is always dreary and grey.)

• "xám ngoét": Extremely grey or ashen (often used to describe a pale, sickly complexion).

  • Sau cơn sốt, mặt nó xám ngoét. (After the fever, his face was deathly pale.)

• "chất xám": Grey matter (of the brain); figuratively refers to intelligence, intellectual capacity.

  • Công ty cần thu hút chất xám. (The company needs to attract intellectual talent.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xám xám (adj): Greyish, somewhat grey.

  • Bức tường được sơn màu xám xám. (The wall was painted a greyish color.)

• Xám xịt (adj): See "Advanced Usage".

• Xám ngoét (adj): See "Advanced Usage".

• Hoá xám (verb): To turn grey.

  • Tóc ông ấy bắt đầu hoá xám. (His hair is starting to turn grey.)

Synonyms

• Màu tro: Ash-colored (a more descriptive synonym for the color).
• Âm u: Gloomy, overcast (synonym for the dull/weather-related meaning).
• U ám: Gloomy, dismal (synonym for the mood-related meaning).

Related Phrases

• Vận áo xám: Literally "grey shirt fortune"; bad luck, misfortune (an idiom).
  • Hắn đang gặp vận áo xám. (He is having a streak of bad luck.)

Related Idioms

• Xám mặt: To turn pale (with fear, shock, or anger).

  • Nghe tin dữ, bà ấy xám mặt. (Upon hearing the bad news, she turned pale.)

• Xám xanh: To turn pale or ashen (similar to "xám mặt", often from illness or extreme emotion).

  • Đứa bé sốt cao, môi xám xanh. (The child had a high fever, its lips were ashen.)

adj

1. grey