cồn ruột
Definition
- Adjective (Idiomatic):
- To feel a gnawing or churning in one's gut: Describes a physical sensation of discomfort, tightness, or agitation in the stomach, often caused by intense emotions like anxiety, impatience, anger, or nervous anticipation.
- To be extremely impatient or agitated: Used figuratively to describe a state of restless anxiety or unbearable eagerness while waiting for something.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Chờ kết quả thi, nó cồn ruột cả đêm. (Waiting for the exam results, he felt a gnawing in his gut all night.)
- Nghe tin đó, tôi cồn ruột muốn về nhà ngay. (Hearing that news, I was so agitated I wanted to go home immediately.)
- Cứ nhìn họ chậm rãi là tôi cồn ruột. (Just watching them move slowly makes me extremely impatient.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is almost exclusively used in a predicative position (following the subject) to describe a temporary state. It is a vivid, sensory idiom.
Variants and Related Words
- Nóng ruột (adj): To feel hot or impatient; a close synonym implying restless worry or eagerness, but with less emphasis on the physical churning sensation.
- Cô ấy nóng ruột chờ điện thoại. (She was impatiently waiting for the phone call.)
Synonyms
- Agitated: Troubled emotionally.
- Impatient: Having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or eager.
- Anxious: Experiencing worry or unease.
- To have butterflies in one's stomach: A similar English idiom for nervous anticipation, though less intense.
Related Idioms
- Thấp thỏm lo âu: To be on tenterhooks; to be in a state of anxious suspense. This shares the emotional component but lacks the specific physical sensation of "cồn ruột."
- Cả gia đình thấp thỏm lo âu chờ tin tức. (The whole family was on tenterhooks waiting for news.)