Definition

1. Interjection:
   • A loud, repeated call or shout: "Ơi ới" is an interjection used to call out to someone loudly and repeatedly, often from a distance or to get attention in a noisy environment. It conveys a sense of urgency or a need to make contact.

Usage Examples

• Interjection:
  • "Ơi ới, có ai ở nhà không?" ("Hey, is anyone home?" - shouted repeatedly.)
  • Nghe tiếng gọi ơi ới từ bờ sông, tôi vội chạy ra. (Hearing the loud calls from the riverbank, I hurried out.)

Advanced Usage

• "Gọi nhau ơi ới": To call out to each other loudly and repeatedly.
  • Trên cánh đồng, các bác nông dân gọi nhau ơi ới. (In the field, the farmers call out loudly to each other.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ới: A variant and the root of the reduplicative form "ơi ới". It is also an interjection for calling out.
  • "Ới bác ơi, đợi tôi với!" ("Hey, wait for me!")

Synonyms

• Hò (hò hét): To shout, to yell.
• Gọi to: To call loudly.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "ơi ới" is a reduplicative form (từ láy) of "ới", intensifying the meaning of a loud, insistent call. It is not typically used in formal writing but is common in spoken Vietnamese, especially in rural settings or situations requiring raised voices over distance or noise. It does not have direct phrasal verbs or idioms, as its function is primarily as an interjection.

1. xem ới (láy)