Definition

1. Verb:
   • To nod or sway one's head repeatedly, especially in a drowsy or drunken state. It describes an unsteady, involuntary movement of the head, often due to sleepiness or intoxication.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy ngồi gật gưỡng trên ghế vì quá mệt. (He was sitting and nodding off on the chair because he was too tired.)
  • Người đàn ông say rượu bước đi gật gưỡng. (The drunken man walked with an unsteady sway.)
  • Cô ấy gật gưỡng trong buổi họp dài. (She kept nodding off during the long meeting.)

Advanced Usage

• "gật gà gật gưỡng": This is a common reduplicative form that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing a continuous, drowsy, and unsteady nodding motion.
  • Đứa bé ngồi xem tivi gật gà gật gưỡng rồi ngủ thiếp đi. (The child sat watching TV, nodding off repeatedly, and then fell asleep.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gật (verb): To nod (once, or generally). This is the root word and is more neutral.
  • Cô ấy gật đầu đồng ý. (She nodded in agreement.)
• Gà gật (verb): To doze off, to be very sleepy and nodding.
  • Tôi chỉ gà gật được một lúc. (I only managed to doze off for a while.)
• Lắc lư (verb): To sway, to swing (can be of the whole body or head, not necessarily due to sleepiness).
  • Họ lắc lư theo điệu nhạc. (They swayed to the music.)

Synonyms

• Lảo đảo (verb/adjective): To stagger, to reel (often refers to unsteady walking, but can imply a similar state).
• Ngủ gật (verb): To nod off to sleep.

Related Idioms

• Say bí tỉ / say không biết trời đất: To be dead drunk. This describes the state that often causes .
  • Anh ta về nhà trong tình trạng say bí tỉ. (He came home dead drunk.)