Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Stained, soiled, discolored: "ố" describes something that has become dirty, marked, or has lost its original color due to contact with a substance or exposure to elements.
   • Tarnished: It can also describe a loss of brightness or luster on a surface, often metal.

2. Verb (to become stained/soiled):

   • To get stained, to become soiled: The process of acquiring stains or becoming discolored.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Chiếc áo trắng bị ố vàng dưới nách. (The white shirt is stained yellow under the arms.)
  • Tấm vải mới đã bị ố vì nước mưa. (The new cloth got stained by the rain.)
  • Mặt gương bị ố mờ. (The mirror surface is tarnished/foggy.)

• Verb:

  • Cẩn thận kẻo quần áo sẽ ố đấy. (Be careful or your clothes will get stained.)
  • Vải lụa rất dễ ố. (Silk fabric stains very easily.)

Advanced Usage

• "ố vàng": specifically stained yellow.

  • Những trang sách cũ đã ố vàng theo thời gian. (The pages of the old book have yellowed with time.)

• "hoen ố": a compound meaning tarnished or stained, often used figuratively for reputation.

  • Danh tiếng của ông ấy bị hoen ố vì scandal. (His reputation was tarnished by the scandal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vết ố (n): a stain, a spot.

  • Làm sao để tẩy vết ố này? (How to remove this stain?)

• Ố màu (v): to fade or become discolored.

  • Tranh treo lâu ngày bị ố màu. (The painting has faded from being hung for a long time.)

Synonyms

• Bẩn: dirty (more general).
• Hoen: tarnished, stained (often used with "ố").
• Lem luốc: smudged, grimy.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Làm ố (v): to stain something, to cause staining.
  • Cà phê đã làm ố tấm khăn trải bàn. (The coffee stained the tablecloth.)

Related Idioms

• Ăn ở không đẹp để tiếng ố cho con cháu: (To live immorally, leaving a bad reputation for one's descendants.) - Uses "ố" figuratively to mean a tarnished reputation.
  • Ông ấy lo sợ ăn ở không đẹp để tiếng ố cho con cháu. (He fears living immorally will leave a bad name for his descendants.)

1. Smeared
   • Vải bị ố vì mưa
     Cloth smeared by rain