câm mồm
[kəm˧˧ mom˨˩]word by word
The Vietnamese phrase for "stfu" is câm mồm.
câm mồm is a very rude and aggressive way to tell someone to stop talking immediately. Using this phrase is considered a verbal attack and is likely to provoke an argument or cause offense.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of câm, which means mute or silent and mồm, which means mouth. It literally translates to "shut your mouth".
Which one should you use?
While câm mồm is aggressive and rude, the phrase im lặng provides a neutral or polite way to request silence.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
câm mồm is an informal, highly impolite and aggressive expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn câm mồm into a forceful imperative command such as "shut up!", you can add the particle đi to the end to form câm mồm đi.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese culture, the level of rudeness in a command often depends on the pronouns used, so adding a disrespectful pronoun to câm mồm can escalate a verbal spat into a physical one.
- The word câm in its sense of being orthographically silent is actually a semantic loan from the French word muet.
- In Vietnamese, using the word mồm instead of the standard miệng for 'mouth' is what gives câm mồm its vulgar and low-class connotation.
Examples in context
- Im điBe quiet or shut up
- Câm mồm đi!Shut your mouth!
- Tao bảo mày câm mồm!I told you to shut up!
- Câm mồm vào!Shut your damn mouth!
Example conversation
Two people are having a heated, aggressive argument in a cafe.
- TuấnMày nói quá nhiều rồi đấy.You are talking too much.
- LanTôi không có gì để giấu!I have nothing to hide!
- TuấnCâm mồm ngay!Shut the hell up right now!
- LanAnh thật là quá đáng.You are being too much.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (câm, mồm) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries câm, mồm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
