Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Gloomily sad, deeply and quietly sad: Describes a state of profound, lingering sadness that is often quiet, listless, and melancholic. It implies a sadness that permeates the atmosphere or a person's mood, creating a sense of dull, heavy sorrow.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Căn phòng trống vắng trông buồn thiu. (The empty room looked gloomily sad.)
  • Sau cuộc chia tay, cô ấy ngồi một mình, lòng buồn thiu. (After the breakup, she sat alone, her heart deeply sad.)
  • Chiều mưa khiến con phố nhỏ trở nên buồn thiu. (The rainy afternoon made the small street feel profoundly melancholy.)

Advanced Usage

• Describing Atmosphere: Often used to describe environments, scenes, or weather that evoke a deep sense of quiet sadness.
  • Khung cảnh bến tàu vắng lặng buồn thiu. (The scene of the silent pier was gloomily desolate.)
• Describing a Prolonged State: Emphasizes a sustained, internalized feeling of sorrow rather than a sudden outburst.
  • Nỗi buồn thiu ấy cứ đeo bám anh suốt mấy ngày. (That deep gloom clung to him for several days.)

Variants and Related Words

• Buồn (adj): Sad, unhappy. This is the root word; "buồn thiu" intensifies and specifies the quality of the sadness.
• Buồn bã (adj): Sad, sorrowful. Similar but may imply a more active or apparent sadness compared to the quiet, pervasive nature of "buồn thiu."
• Thiu thiu (adv): Drowsily, somnolently. This reduplicative form shares the root "thiu," suggesting a languid, lethargic state that connects to the listlessness in "buồn thiu."

Synonyms

• U sầu: Melancholy, gloomy.
• Ảo não: Doleful, mournful.
• Não nề: Heavy-hearted, grievous.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Buồn như chiếu bị: (As sad as a rolled-up mat) An idiom expressing deep dejection or sadness. "Buồn thiu" can describe the feeling this idiom conveys.
• Buồn tênh / Buồn hiu: Similar compound adjectives using different suffixes ("tênh," "hiu") to convey a slightly different nuance of lonely, forlorn, or desolate sadness. "Buồn thiu" often emphasizes a heavier, more stagnant gloom.

1. Gloomily sad