ớn rét
Definition
Noun:
- A chill / The chills: A sudden, unpleasant feeling of coldness, often accompanied by shivering, typically occurring at the beginning of a fever or illness.
Adjective (used predicatively):
- Feeling chills / Having the chills: The state of experiencing a sensation of cold and shivering, usually due to fever, fear, or disgust.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Cơn sốt bắt đầu bằng một cơn ớn rét. (The fever began with a bout of chills.)
- Anh ấy lên cơn ớn rét. (He had an attack of the chills.)
Adjective (predicative):
- Tôi cảm thấy ớn rét. (I feel chills.)
- Đứa trẻ ớn rét và sốt cao. (The child has the chills and a high fever.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "ớn rét" often describes the specific, shuddering cold sensation that precedes or accompanies a fever in illnesses like malaria or influenza. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a feeling of cold dread or revulsion.
- Nghe câu chuyện mà tôi ớn rét. (Hearing that story gave me the chills.)
Variants and Related Words
Ớn lạnh (adj/n): A very similar term meaning "to feel a chill" or "a chill," often interchangeable with "ớn rét" but can be used more broadly for chills not strictly from fever.
- Gió khiến tôi ớn lạnh. (The wind gave me a chill.)
Rùng mình (v): To shiver, to shudder. This is the physical action associated with feeling "ớn rét".
- Cô ấy rùng mình vì ớn rét. (She shuddered from the chills.)
Synonyms
- Chills: A feeling of coldness with shivering.
- Rigor: A sudden feeling of cold with shivering accompanied by a rise in temperature, often in medical contexts.
- Shivering: The act of shaking slightly and uncontrollably due to cold or fever.
Related Idioms
- While "ớn rét" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the sensation is commonly described in phrases about illness.
- Lên cơn sốt rét: To have a malarial fever (which famously involves severe ớn rét).