co mình
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To curl up, to huddle: To bend or draw one's body into a smaller, tighter shape, often for warmth, comfort, or protection.
- To recoil, to shrink back: To physically draw oneself in, often as an instinctive reaction to cold, fear, or a perceived threat.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Trời lạnh quá, con mèo co mình nằm bên lò sưởi. (It's so cold, the cat curls up by the fireplace.)
- Đứa trẻ sợ hãi co mình vào góc phòng. (The frightened child huddled in the corner of the room.)
- Nghe tiếng động lạ, nó vội co mình lại. (Hearing a strange noise, he quickly recoiled.)
Advanced Usage
"co mình lại": An emphatic form meaning "to curl oneself up tightly" or "to shrink back completely."
- Cơn đau bụng khiến cô ấy phải co mình lại trên giường. (The stomach ache made her curl up tightly in bed.)
Used figuratively to describe withdrawal or introversion in behavior or attitude, though the primary meaning is physical.
- Sau thất bại, anh ấy như co mình lại, ít giao tiếp hơn. (After the failure, he seemed to withdraw into himself, communicating less.)
Variants and Related Words
Co ro (adj/adv): Describes the state of shivering or huddling due to cold or fear. Often used together with "co mình."
- Nó ngồi co ro trong giá rét. (He sat shivering in the bitter cold.)
Co quắp (verb): To contort or cramp up, often due to pain or cold, implying a more severe, painful, or rigid contraction than "co mình."
- Bàn tay co quắp vì lạnh. (The hand cramped up from the cold.)
Thu mình (verb): To make oneself small; to withdraw. Can be used more broadly for both physical shrinking and social/emotional withdrawal.
- Con rùa thu mình vào trong mai. (The turtle retracted into its shell.)
Synonyms
- Cuộn tròn: To roll into a ball, to coil up.
- Rúm người lại: To shrivel or crumple one's body (often due to cold or laughter).
Related Phrases
- Co mình co cẳng: An idiomatic expression emphasizing the complete curling up of the body (both torso and limbs), often due to extreme cold.
- Trời đông, nó nằm co mình co cẳng trong chăn. (In winter, he lies curled up with his legs drawn in under the blanket.)