ủ ấp
Definition
- Verb:
- To brood / to incubate: The primary meaning refers to a bird sitting on its eggs to keep them warm until they hatch.
- To nurture / to cherish: A figurative meaning describing the act of carefully holding onto and fostering a feeling, idea, or hope within oneself over time.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con gà mái đang ủ ấp trứng. (The hen is brooding over the eggs.)
- Cô ấy ủ ấp một tình yêu thầm kín suốt nhiều năm. (She has cherished a secret love for many years.)
- Anh ấy ủ ấp hy vọng trở thành một bác sĩ. (He nurtures the hope of becoming a doctor.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in literary or emotional contexts to convey a sense of deep, patient, and protective inner cultivation.
- Nhà văn ủ ấp ý tưởng cho cuốn tiểu thuyết trong nhiều thập kỷ. (The writer nurtured the idea for his novel for decades.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ấp ủ (v): This is a common variant with the same meaning and usage as "ủ ấp".
- Tôi luôn ấp ủ ước mơ du lịch vòng quanh thế giới. (I have always cherished the dream of traveling around the world.)
Synonyms
- Brood: to sit on eggs.
- Incubate: to maintain conditions for development.
- Cherish: to hold something dear.
- Nurture: to care for and encourage growth.
- Harbor: to hold a thought or feeling in the mind.
Related Idioms
- Ủ ấp hoài bão: to harbor an ambition.
- Chàng trai trẻ ủ ấp hoài bão thay đổi quê hương. (The young man harbors the ambition to change his homeland.)