Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Flustered, agitated, restless: Describes a state of emotional turmoil, anxiety, or nervous excitement, often causing physical restlessness. It implies a feeling of being unsettled or stirred up inside.
   • Nostalgic, wistful, with a tinge of sadness: Can describe a sentimental, melancholic longing for the past or for something/someone absent, accompanied by a fluttering, uneasy feeling in the heart.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy bổi hổi bồi hồi chờ đợi kết quả cuộc phỏng vấn. (She waited for the interview results with fluttering anxiety.)
  • Trở về quê cũ, lòng tôi bỗng thấy bổi hổi bồi hồi. (Returning to my old hometown, my heart was suddenly filled with wistful nostalgia.)
  • Anh ấy có vẻ bổi hổi bồi hồi trước giờ lên đường. (He seemed restless and agitated before the departure time.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lòng bổi hổi bồi hồi": A restless/heavy heart.

  • Lòng bổi hổi bồi hồi, cô ấy không thể tập trung vào việc gì. (With a restless heart, she couldn't concentrate on anything.)

• "Cảm giác bổi hổi bồi hồi": A feeling of anxious fluttering.

  • Cảm giác bổi hổi bồi hồi ấy cứ ám ảnh anh suốt đêm. (That feeling of anxious fluttering haunted him all night.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bồi hồi (Adjective): The base form, meaning flustered, agitated, nostalgic. "Bổi hổi bồi hồi" is a reduplicative form (láy) that intensifies the meaning.
  • Tim anh bồi hồi khi nghe tin. (His heart fluttered when he heard the news.)

Synonyms

• Xao xuyến: To be emotionally stirred, moved (often by memories or beauty).
• Băn khoăn: To be worried, anxious, preoccupied.
• Thấp thỏm: To be on tenterhooks, in a state of anxious suspense.

Notes on Meaning

This is a reduplicative word (từ láy) in Vietnamese, specifically of the type "láy âm," where the first part "bổi hổi" is created to rhyme and alliterate with the base word "bồi hồi." The reduplication serves to intensify the emotional state described by the base word "bồi hồi." It vividly depicts an internal, physical sensation of the heart or emotions churning.

1. xem bồi hồi (láy)