Definition

1. Verb:
   • To apprehend, to fear, to be afraid of: "e sợ" describes the feeling of fear, anxiety, or dread towards something perceived as dangerous, threatening, or unpleasant. It implies a state of being frightened or apprehensive.

Usage

• "E sợ" is used to express a personal feeling of fear or apprehension. It is often followed by the object of fear (a noun or a clause).
• It is a compound word formed from "e" (to dread, to be wary) and "sợ" (to fear), but it functions as a single lexical unit meaning "to be afraid of".
• Common in both spoken and written Vietnamese.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy e sợ những thay đổi đột ngột. (She is afraid of sudden changes.)
  • Nhiều người e sợ rằng kinh tế sẽ suy thoái. (Many people fear that the economy will decline.)
  • Đừng e sợ thất bại. (Don't be afraid of failure.)

Advanced Usage

• "E sợ hãi": This is an intensified form, combining "e sợ" with "hãi" (terror), meaning to be terrified or filled with dread.
  • Họ e sợ hãi trước sức mạnh của cơn bão. (They were terrified by the power of the storm.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sợ (verb): To fear, to be scared. This is the core component and a more common, general term for fear.
  • Tôi sợ ma. (I am scared of ghosts.)
• E ngại (verb): To be apprehensive, to have misgivings. This focuses more on worry and caution than pure fear.
  • Anh ấy e ngại về kết quả cuộc họp. (He is apprehensive about the meeting's outcome.)
• Khiếp sợ (verb): To be terrified, to be in awe and fear.
  • Mọi người khiếp sợ sự tàn bạo của hắn. (Everyone was terrified of his cruelty.)

Synonyms

• Lo sợ (verb): To worry and fear.
• Hốt hoảng (verb): To panic, to be alarmed (implies a sudden, intense fear).

Related Phrases

• Cảm giác e sợ (noun phrase): A feeling of fear/apprehension.
  • Cô ấy không thể che giấu cảm giác e sợ. (She couldn't hide the feeling of fear.)
• Nỗi e sợ (noun phrase): Fear, dread (as a noun).
  • Nỗi e sợ thất bại đã kìm hãm anh ta. (The fear of failure held him back.)

Related Idioms

• E sợ như chuột thấy mèo: To be as scared as a mouse seeing a cat (to be extremely frightened).
  • Cậu bé e sợ như chuột thấy mèo khi bị gọi lên bảng. (The boy was as scared as a mouse seeing a cat when called to the blackboard.)

1. Apprehend