úp
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To turn something upside down, to invert: The primary meaning of "úp" is to place an object so that its top or open side faces downwards.
- To cover by placing something over: "Úp" also means to cover something by placing a concave object (like a bowl, lid, or basket) over it.
- To ambush, to capture by surprise: In a military or tactical context, "úp" means to attack or capture someone or something suddenly and unexpectedly.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cô ấy úp bát xuống mâm để cho khô. (She turned the bowls upside down on the tray to let them dry.)
- Hãy úp vung vào nồi canh. (Please put the lid on the soup pot.)
- Quân ta đánh úp đồn địch lúc nửa đêm. (Our troops launched a surprise attack on the enemy post at midnight.)
Advanced Usage
- "úp mở": to be ambiguous, to hint at something without saying it directly. (Note: This is a compound word and listed here as advanced usage).
- Anh ta nói chuyện cứ úp mở, không rõ ràng. (He speaks in an ambiguous, unclear way.)
- "bị úp": to be overturned (e.g., a boat); to be ambushed.
- Chiếc thuyền bị úp giữa dòng sông. (The boat capsized in the middle of the river.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sụp (verb): to collapse, to fall down (often a structure). This is a different word but can be contextually related in the sense of something turning over or falling.
- Lật úp (verb phrase): to flip/turn over. This phrase emphasizes the flipping action.
- Lật úp miếng cá trên chảo. (Flip the piece of fish in the pan.)
Synonyms
- Lật ngược: to turn upside down.
- Đậy: to cover (with a lid). While "đậy" is a general term for covering, "úp" implies covering with a concave object.
- Phục kích, tấn công bất ngờ: to ambush, to attack by surprise (for the military meaning).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Úp sọt (literally: to cover with a basket): to trap, to frame someone, or to cheat in business.
- Hắn ta bị đối tác úp sọt trong vụ làm ăn. (He was cheated/trapped by his partner in the business deal.)
- Úp bô (slang): to fail spectacularly, especially in an exam or test.
- Nó úp bô môn toán. (He flunked math completely.)
Related Idioms
- Lấy thúng úp voi: (literally: to use a basket to cover an elephant) to attempt the impossible, to try to hide something too big to conceal.
- Giấu chuyện đó đi là lấy thúng úp voi thôi. (Trying to hide that matter is like using a basket to cover an elephant—impossible.)