Definitions

1. Adjective:
   • Wide open, unable to close (especially referring to eyes): Describes the state of eyes being open and unable to shut, typically due to insomnia, stimulation, or illness.
   • Staring, open and unblinking: Can describe eyes that are open in a fixed, often unnatural or strained manner.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Vì uống cà phê, mắt cứ chong chong suốt đêm. (Because of drinking coffee, my eyes stayed wide open all night.)
  • Đứa bé sốt cao, mắt nhìn chong chong. (The child had a high fever and stared with wide-open eyes.)
  • Cơn đau khiến anh ấy nằm mắt chong chong đến sáng. (The pain kept him lying there with eyes wide open until morning.)

Advanced Usage

• "mắt chong chong": This is the most common collocation, specifically describing the state of the eyes.
  • Tiếng ồn bên ngoài làm tôi thức trắng đêm, mắt chong chong. (The noise outside kept me awake all night, eyes wide open.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chong (verb): To stay awake, to keep vigil. "Chong đèn" means to stay up late with a lamp/light.
  • While "chong" is related, "chong chong" is a distinct adjective form emphasizing the resulting state of the eyes.

Synonyms

• Mở thao láo: To be wide open (eyes), often with a connotation of surprise, fear, or emptiness.
• Trợn trừng: To stare with eyes wide open, often due to anger or intensity.
• Thức trắng: To stay awake all night (describes the overall state, not specifically the eyes).

Notes on Usage

• Register: The word "chong chong" is primarily used in spoken Vietnamese and descriptive writing. It is less common in very formal contexts.
• Specificity: It almost exclusively modifies "mắt" (eyes). Using it for other body parts or objects would be atypical and possibly poetic.
• Nuance: It carries a nuance of involuntariness and discomfort, describing an inability to close the eyes rather than a deliberate act of keeping them open.

1. Xem chong