Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely frightened, scared to death: "hết viá" describes a state of being terrified or extremely scared, often to the point of feeling one's life is in danger or being overwhelmed by fear. It is a colloquial and emphatic expression.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nghe tiếng động lạ trong đêm, nó sợ hết viá. (Hearing a strange noise at night, he was frightened to death.)
  • Đi xe máy gặp con chó chạy ngang, tôi hết viá. (When I was riding my motorbike and a dog ran across the road, I was scared to death.)

Advanced Usage

• "sợ hết viá": This is the most common construction, where "hết viá" intensifies the verb "sợ" (to be afraid).
  • Xem phim kinh dị xong, cả đêm tôi sợ hết viá. (After watching a horror movie, I was scared to death all night.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hết hồn (adj): A very common synonym, also meaning extremely frightened or scared out of one's wits.
  • Thấy con rắn, nó hét lên hết hồn. (Seeing the snake, she screamed, scared out of her wits.)
• Khiếp vía (adj): Terrified, horrified (slightly more literary).
  • Cảnh tượng đó khiến ai nấy đều khiếp vía. (That scene horrified everyone.)

Synonyms

• Sợ khiếp: to be terrified.
• Sợ chết khiếp: to be scared stiff/to death.

Related Idioms

• Sợ mất mật: Literally "to be so scared one loses one's bile/gall," meaning to be terrified.
  • Bị lạc trong rừng, nó sợ mất mật. (Getting lost in the forest, he was terrified.)
• Sợ run cầm cập: to be so scared one is trembling uncontrollably.
  • Đứng trước đám đông giận dữ, anh ấy sợ run cầm cập. (Standing before an angry crowd, he was trembling with fear.)

1. Frightened to death