ngâm tôm

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The Vietnamese word "ngâm tôm" can be understood in a few different contexts. Let's break it down to help you understand it better.

Basic Definition:

1. Literal Meaning: "Ngâm tôm" literally translates to "soaking shrimp." In cooking, it refers to the process of soaking shrimp (or other seafood) in a liquid, usually to marinate or prepare it for a dish.

2. Colloquial Meaning: Informally, "ngâm tôm" is used to describe the act of putting something in a specific category or pigeon-holing it, similar to how you would classify or label something in a restricted way.

Usage Instructions:

• In Cooking: You might use "ngâm tôm" when preparing a dish that involves marinating shrimp. For example, you might say, "Tôi sẽ ngâm tôm trong nước mắm để tăng hương vị," which means "I will soak the shrimp in fish sauce to enhance the flavor."

• In Colloquial Usage: You can use "ngâm tôm" to describe categorizing someone or something in a narrow way. For example, "Đừng ngâm tôm người ta chỉ vì vẻ bề ngoài," meaning "Don't pigeon-hole someone just because of their appearance."

Example Sentence:

• Cooking Context: "Trước khi nấu, hãy nhớ ngâm tôm trong nước muối khoảng 15 phút." (Before cooking, remember to soak the shrimp in saltwater for about 15 minutes.)

• Colloquial Context: "Cô ấy rất đa tài, đừng ngâm tôm cô ấy chỉ là một họa sĩ." (She is very talented; don't pigeon-hole her as just an artist.)

Advanced Usage:

In more advanced language contexts, "ngâm tôm" can be used metaphorically to discuss societal issues, such as how people often misjudge others based on first impressions.

Word Variants:

• There are no direct variants of "ngâm tôm," but related phrases include "ngâm" (soak) and "tôm" (shrimp), which can be combined with other words to describe different types of soaking or marinating processes.

Different Meanings:

• While the primary meanings pertain to cooking and categorization, in different regions or contexts, "ngâm" can also imply soaking in other contexts (like soaking vegetables or fruits).

Synonyms:

• For the cooking sense: "tẩm" (marinate) can be a synonym.
• For the colloquial sense: "phân loại" (classify) might be a synonym when discussing categorizing or pigeon-holing.

Academic

1. (thông tục) Pigeon-hole