cất lẻn
Definition
- Intransitive Verb:
- To slip away, to sneak off: To leave a place or situation quietly and secretly, without being noticed or without saying goodbye.
- To steal away: To depart in a furtive or stealthy manner.
Usage Examples
- Intransitive Verb:
- Sau buổi họp nhàm chán, anh ta cất lẻn ra về mà không ai hay. (After the boring meeting, he slipped away home without anyone noticing.)
- Đứa trẻ cất lẻn khỏi phòng khi bố mẹ đang bận nói chuyện. (The child sneaked out of the room while his parents were busy talking.)
Advanced Usage
- "cất lẻn đi": to slip away, to sneak off. This is the most common and complete form of the verb phrase.
- Không muốn làm phiền, tôi đã cất lẻn đi từ sớm. (Not wanting to be a bother, I slipped away early.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lén lút (adverb/adjective): stealthily, furtive. Describes the manner of an action.
- Hành động một cách lén lút (To act stealthily)
- Trốn đi (verb phrase): to run away, to escape. Has a stronger connotation of hiding or escaping from something.
- Chuồn (slang verb): to scram, to skedaddle. A more informal and sometimes humorous synonym.
Synonyms
- Lẩn đi: to slip away, to vanish.
- Rút lui lặng lẽ: to withdraw quietly.
Notes on Meaning and Usage
- Nuance: "Cất lẻn" implies a deliberate, quiet, and secretive departure. It often carries a neutral or slightly negative connotation, suggesting the action might be to avoid an obligation, an awkward situation, or simply to leave without a fuss. It is not typically used for dramatic escapes.
- Formality: This is a literary or somewhat formal term. In everyday spoken Vietnamese, phrases like "lén đi" or "chuồn" are more common.
- Grammar: It functions as an intransitive verb. It is often used with the directional particle "đi" (to go) to complete the phrase: "cất lẻn đi".