tanh

Thân thiện

Lốp xe bị đứt tanh nên cần phải thay.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Having a fishy or unpleasant smell: Describes a strong, often offensive odor reminiscent of raw fish or something spoiled.
   • Utterly, absolutely, completely: Used as an intensifier following an adjective to denote a state to the fullest extent. This usage is often paired with specific adjectives.

2. Noun:

   • Tire hoop, bead wire: The metal or rigid ring inside the rim of a tire that helps it maintain its shape and seal against the wheel.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Fishy smell):

  • Cá để lâu có mùi tanh. (Fish left out for a long time has a fishy smell.)
  • Căn phòng ẩm thấp bốc mùi tanh. (The damp room gave off a musty, unpleasant odor.)

• Adjective (Intensifier - utterly):

  • Căn nhà vắng tanh. (The house is completely deserted.)
  • Ly nước đã nguội tanh. (The cup of water has gone completely cold.)
  • Tấm vải mỏng tanh. (The fabric is utterly thin.)

• Noun (Tire part):

  • Lốp xe bị đứt tanh. (The tire's bead wire is broken.)
  • Thợ sửa xe thay cái tanh mới. (The mechanic replaced the tire hoop.)

Advanced Usage

• "tanh tanh": The reduplicated form often slightly softens the intensity of the "fishy" meaning or adds a descriptive nuance.

  • Nước sông có mùi tanh tanh. (The river water has a slightly fishy smell.)

• "vắng tanh vắng ngắt": An idiomatic pairing emphasizing extreme emptiness or desolation.

  • Đường phố vắng tanh vắng ngắt. (The streets are utterly and completely deserted.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tanh hôi (adj): Stinking, foul-smelling (combines "tanh" with "hôi" - stinky).

  • Mùi tanh hôi của rác. (The foul stench of garbage.)

• Tanh tưởi (adj): Often describes the fresh, metallic smell of blood.

  • Mùi máu tanh tưởi. (The metallic smell of blood.)

Synonyms

• Cáy (adj): Fishy (specifically refers to the smell/taste of fish).
• Hoàn toàn, tuyệt đối (adv): Completely, absolutely (for the intensifier sense).

Related Idioms

• Vắng như chùa bà đanh: As deserted as Mrs. Đanh's pagoda (a simile for extreme emptiness, similar in meaning to "vắng tanh").
• Nguội lạnh: Cold (emotionally or physically), can be intensified as "nguội tanh" for "completely cold".

Học thuật

noun

1. tire-hoop

adj

1. fishy, stinking

adv

1. utterly, absolutely