Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Fixedly, intently, without blinking: Describes the action of looking directly at something for a prolonged period without moving one's eyes or blinking. It implies a focused, intense, and often unwavering gaze.

Usage

• Chòng chọc is used almost exclusively as an adverb to modify verbs of seeing, such as (to look), (to glance), or (to peer). It describes the manner of looking.
• It conveys a sense of deep concentration, curiosity, fascination, or sometimes suspicion.
• It is a descriptive word often found in literary, narrative, or spoken contexts to add vividness.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Em bé nhìn chòng chọc vào đồ chơi trong tủ kính. (The little boy stared fixedly at the toys in the shop window.)
  • Cô ấy chòng chọc nhìn tôi như thể tôi là người lạ. (She stared at me intently as if I were a stranger.)
  • Đừng có chòng chọc vào người ta như thế, mất lịch sự lắm. (Don't stare at people like that; it's very impolite.)

Advanced Usage

• While primarily an adverb, its adverbial nature is strong. It is not typically used in other grammatical roles (e.g., as an adjective to describe a noun directly).
• The gaze described by chòng chọc can be neutral (curious observation), positive (fascinated admiration), or negative (suspicious scrutiny), depending on the context.

Variants and Related Words

• Chăm chú (adj/adv): Attentive, attentively. Focuses more on paying close attention rather than the physical act of not blinking.
  • Nó chăm chú nghe giảng. (He listens to the lecture attentively.)
• Chằm chằm (adv): Staringly, fixedly. Very similar in meaning and usage to chòng chọc, often interchangeable.
  • Anh ta nhìn tôi chằm chằm. (He stared at me.)
• Đăm đăm (adv): Fixedly, pensively. Can imply a thoughtful or absorbed stare.
  • Cô ấy nhìn đăm đăm ra cửa sổ. (She gazed fixedly out the window.)

Synonyms

• Chằm chằm: fixedly, staringly.
• Đăm đăm: fixedly, absorbedly.
• Không chớp mắt: without blinking.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Nhìn chòng chọc: This is the standard and most common phrase, meaning "to stare fixedly."
  • Cảnh sát nhìn chòng chọc vào nghi phạm. (The police stared fixedly at the suspect.)

Notes on Spelling

• The word can sometimes be seen spelled as tròng trọc, though chòng chọc is the more common and standard form in modern Vietnamese.

adj

1. Fixed
   • em bé nhìn chòng chọc vào đồ chơi trong tủ kính
     the little boy looked fixedly at the the toys in the shop window, the little boy stared at the toys in the shop window