cùi cụi

cùi cụi

Cô ấy ngồi cùi cụi viết báo cáo.

Definition
  1. Adverb:
    • Diligently, industriously, with steady effort: Describes the manner of working or doing something in a persistent, focused, and often quiet way, without seeking attention or distraction.
    • Assiduously, busily: Implies being engrossed in a task, working away at it.
Usage Examples
  • Adverb:
    • Anh ấy làm việc cùi cụi cả ngày. (He works diligently all day.)
    • Cô ấy ngồi cùi cụi viết báo cáo. (She sat busily writing the report.)
    • Họ cùi cụi chuẩn bị cho kỳ thi. (They are assiduously preparing for the exam.)
Advanced Usage

  • "cùi cụi làm ăn": to work diligently and earn a living steadily.

    • Gia đình họ cùi cụi làm ăn trên mảnh đất nhỏ. (Their family works diligently to make a living on a small piece of land.)

  • "cùi cụi học hành": to study diligently and persistently.

    • Cậu học sinh ấy cùi cụi học hành không kể ngày đêm. (That student studies diligently day and night.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Cần cù (adj): diligent, industrious. This is a common adjective with a similar meaning.

    • Cô ấy là một người rất cần cù. (She is a very diligent person.)

  • Miệt mài (adv/adj): engrossed, absorbed in work/study. Shares the connotation of deep, persistent focus.

    • Anh ấy miệt mài nghiên cứu. (He is engrossed in research.)
Synonyms
  • Chăm chỉ: hard-working, diligent.
  • Siêng năng: industrious, assiduous.
  • Tần tảo: (often for women) toiling diligently, especially for the family.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As an adverb, 'cùi cụi' typically modifies verbs and does not form phrasal verbs in the same way as English verbs. It is commonly paired with action verbs. - Cùi cụi + [Verb]: This is the standard structure. - cùi cụi làm (to work diligently) - cùi cụi học (to study diligently) - cùi cụi viết (to write busily/assiduously)

Related Idioms
  • Đầu tắt mặt tối: (lit. head extinguished, face dark) To work from dawn till dusk, to be extremely busy and hard-working. This idiom conveys a stronger sense of exhausting labor than 'cùi cụi'.
    • Bố mẹ tôi đầu tắt mặt tối lo cho con cái. (My parents work tirelessly from dawn till dusk for their children.)