ổ chuột
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. Rat hole; mouse hole: A hole or burrow made and inhabited by rats or mice. 2. Slum; hovel; very poor and squalid dwelling: A small, low, dirty, and overcrowded house or dwelling, typically inhabited by very poor people.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Literal - rat hole):
- Con mèo đang rình trước ổ chuột. (The cat is lurking in front of the rat hole.)
- Họ tìm thấy một ổ chuột sau tủ bếp. (They found a mouse hole behind the kitchen cabinet.)
- Noun (Figurative - slum):
- Khu nhà ấy đã trở thành một ổ chuột. (That housing area has become a slum.)
- Gia đình họ phải sống trong một căn nhà ổ chuột. (Their family has to live in a hovel.)
Advanced Usage
- Used metaphorically to describe a place of crime or vice: The term can be extended to describe a place known for illegal or immoral activities, functioning as a den or nest.
- Cảnh sát đột kích vào ổ chuột cờ bạc. (The police raided the gambling den.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ổ (noun): Nest, den, burrow. The core noun indicating an animal's dwelling or a place where something gathers (e.g., = pothole, = outbreak hotspot).
- Chuột (noun): Rat; mouse.
- Nhà ổ chuột (noun phrase): A more explicit phrase for a slum dwelling.
- Tụ điểm tệ nạn (noun phrase): A vice den; a spot for social evils.
Synonyms
- For the literal meaning (hole): Lỗ chuột, hang chuột.
- For the figurative meaning (dwelling): Nhà lụp xụp, túp lều, nhà tồi tàn, khu ổ chuột (slum area).
Related Idioms
- Ổ phản động: A nest of reactionaries.
- Ổ dịch: An outbreak hotspot (e.g., of disease).