ằng ặc

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Describes a continuous, heavy, and often unpleasant sound: Typically used for loud, gurgling, or choking sounds, especially those produced by liquids or thick substances moving or being poured.
    • Describes something being extremely dense, thick, or concentrated: Often refers to smoke, fog, or crowds that are overwhelmingly dense and impenetrable.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective (Sound):
    • Tiếng nước chảy ằng ặc trong cống. (The sound of water gurgling heavily in the drain.)
    • Anh ta ho ằng ặc suốt đêm. (He coughed with a heavy, rasping sound all night.)
  • Adjective (Density):
    • Khói đen bốc lên ằng ặc. (Black smoke rose in a thick, dense plume.)
    • Đường phố đông nghẹt người ằng ặc. (The street was packed with an impenetrably dense crowd.)
Advanced Usage
  • Used as an intensifier for adjectives of sound or density: It functions as a reduplicative word that emphasizes the continuous, overwhelming, and monotonous nature of the sound or substance.
    • Mưa rơi ằng ặc trên mái tôn. (The rain fell with a heavy, drumming sound on the tin roof.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Ặc ặc (adj): A variant form with similar meaning, often describing a choking or gurgling sound.
    • Đứa bé khóc ặc ặc. (The baby cried with choking sobs.)
Synonyms
  • Gurgling: Making a hollow, bubbling sound (for liquids).
  • Rasping: Making a harsh, grating sound (for coughs, breaths).
  • Dense: Thick and impenetrable (for smoke, crowds).
  • Thickly: In a dense, concentrated manner.
Related Idioms
  • (Nói) ằng ặc: To speak in a rapid, relentless, and often monotonous or argumentative manner.
    • ấy cứ nói ằng ặc không ngừng. (She just kept talking in a relentless, non-stop manner.)