Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To hover, to flutter around something: Describes the light, often playful or aimless, movement of an object (like an insect or leaf) in the air near a surface or another object.
   • To wander, to flit about: Can describe a light, drifting, or unsteady movement, not necessarily of insects.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Chuồn chuồn giờn mặt nước. (The dragonfly is fluttering/hovering over the water's surface.)
  • Lá khô giờn trước hiên nhà. (The dry leaves are fluttering/drifting in front of the house porch.)
  • Bướm giờn quanh những bông hoa. (Butterflies are flitting around the flowers.)

Advanced Usage

• "giờn giờn": This reduplicated form emphasizes the continuous, gentle, and light nature of the hovering or fluttering movement.
  • Cánh bướm giờn giờn trong nắng chiều. (The butterfly's wings fluttered gently in the afternoon sun.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chờn vờn: A near-synonymous compound verb meaning to hover or flutter about, often used interchangeably with "giờn" but sometimes implying a slightly more lingering or hesitant movement.
  • Sương mù chờn vờn trên đỉnh núi. (The mist hovers over the mountain peak.)
• Bay lượn: To fly and glide, indicating a broader, more sustained flight compared to the lighter, more localized "giờn".

Synonyms

• Lượn: To glide, to soar.
• Vo ve: To buzz around (specifically for insects like flies or bees, implying sound).
• Lảng vảng: To loiter, to hang around (often for people, with a connotation of lingering idly).

Notes on Meaning

• The word "giờn" is poetic and somewhat literary. It is not commonly used in everyday modern spoken Vietnamese. It most vividly describes the delicate, airy movement of light objects like insects, petals, or leaves.
• The reference definition "to wander" captures a sense of aimless movement but is best understood in Vietnamese as this specific type of light, hovering motion rather than walking or traveling on land.

verb

1. to wander