xế
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To slant, to decline, to tilt: Refers to the action of leaning or inclining to one side, or the movement of a celestial body (like the sun) past its zenith and moving towards the horizon.
- To be situated diagonally opposite: Used to describe a location that is roughly or diagonally across from a reference point.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Trời đã xế chiều. (The afternoon sun was declining. / It was getting late in the afternoon.)
- Bóng cây xế dài trên mặt đất. (The tree's shadow slanted long across the ground.)
- Cửa hàng đó ở xế chợ. (That shop is situated diagonally across from the market.)
Advanced Usage
- "xế bóng": Literally "the shadow slants," a poetic way to indicate that time has passed, often late afternoon.
- Xế bóng, mẹ tôi ra đồng. (As the shadows grew long, my mother went to the fields.)
- "xế xế" / "xê xế": A reduplicated form indicating a slight slant or a position that is not directly opposite but slightly off to the side.
- Đặt bức tranh xế xế một chút cho đẹp. (Place the picture at a slight slant for a better look.)
- Nhà nó ở xê xế đối diện rạp chiếu phim. (His house is situated slightly off to the side, opposite the cinema.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nghiêng (v): To tilt, to lean. A more general synonym for the physical act of slanting.
- Xế chiều (n): Late afternoon. A compound noun formed from the verb.
- Dốc (v): To slope, to incline. Often used for steeper angles like hills.
Synonyms
- Nghiêng: To incline, to tilt.
- Dốc: To slope.
- Ngả: To lean, to recline (can be used for the sun setting).
Related Phrases
(Note: "Xế" as a verb is not commonly used to form phrasal verbs in the same way as English. Its combinations are more fixed or idiomatic.) - Xế bóng: (As mentioned above) The slanting of shadows, indicating time of day. - Xế cửa: Situated roughly opposite the door/gate of a place.
Related Idioms
- Bóng xế tà dương: The slanting shadow of the setting sun. A poetic idiom evoking late afternoon or the end of a cycle.
- Đời người như bóng xế tà dương. (A human's life is like the shadow of the setting sun.)
- Mặt trời đã xế bóng: The sun has cast long shadows. Means it is late in the day.