cay
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Spicy, hot: Having a pungent, burning flavor characteristic of chili peppers or certain spices.
- Pungent, acrid, stinging: Causing a sharp, irritating sensation, often to the eyes or nose, as from smoke or fumes.
- Bitter, galling: Describing a feeling of deep resentment, frustration, or sharp disappointment following a loss or failure.
Adjective (colloquial):
- Eager, bent on, set on: Having a strong, often impatient, desire to do something or to achieve a specific outcome, especially to recover from a setback.
Usage Examples
Adjective (Spicy):
- Món cà ri này rất cay. (This curry is very spicy.)
- Quả ớt cay xé. (The chili pepper is blisteringly hot.)
Adjective (Stinging):
- Mắt tôi bị cay vì khói. (My eyes are stinging from the smoke.)
- Mắt cay sè vì thiếu ngủ. (Eyes feel prickly from lack of sleep.)
Adjective (Bitter/Galling):
- Đội bóng nhận một thất bại rất cay. (The team suffered a very bitter defeat.)
- Bà ta cay vì mất cả vốn lẫn lãi. (She is bitterly disappointed because she lost both her capital and profit.)
Adjective (Eager/Set on):
- Nó đang cay làm việc ấy. (He is dead set on doing that work.)
- Con bạc cay ăn cay gỡ. (The gambler, stung by loss, is bent on winning to recoup his losses.)
Advanced Usage
"cay nghiến": Intensely bitter or resentful.
- Nỗi thất vọng cay nghiến. (A deeply bitter disappointment.)
"thua cay": To lose badly, to suffer a galling defeat.
- Quân địch thua cay. (The enemy suffered a crushing defeat.)
Variants and Related Words
Cay cay (adj): Mildly spicy or stinging.
- Cảm giác cay cay nơi đầu lưỡi. (A tingling spicy sensation on the tip of the tongue.)
Cay đắng (adj): Bitter (both in taste and figuratively for sorrow/resentment).
- Bài học cay đắng. (A bitter lesson.)
Synonyms
- Spicy/Hot: Piquant, peppery.
- Pungent: Acrid, irritating.
- Bitter: Resentful, galling, vexing.
- Eager: Keen, determined.
Related Idioms
Cay như ớt: As hot as a chili pepper; used to describe something extremely spicy.
- Món súp này cay như ớt. (This soup is as hot as chili.)
Gừng cay muối mặn: Literally "ginger is spicy, salt is salty"; symbolizes the shared bitter and sweet experiences in a long-term relationship, like marriage.
- Tình nghĩa vợ chồng gừng cay muối mặn. (The marital bond has weathered life's ups and downs.)
adj
- Hot (like pepper)
- quả ớt cay xéthe chilli pod is stingingly hot
- Pungent, stinging, pricking, acrid
- mắt bị cay khóieyes stung by smoke
- mắt cay sè vì thiếu ngủeyes having a pricking sensation from lack of sleep
- bị một vố rất cayto receive a stinging blow
- Set on, bent on
- con bạc cay ăn cay gỡa gambler set on winning and on making good his losses
- nó đang cay làm việc ấy