Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Suddenly, all of a sudden: "hốt nhiên" describes an action or event that happens quickly and unexpectedly, without warning.

Usage

• "Hốt nhiên" is used to modify a verb, indicating the suddenness of the action. It is placed before the main verb or at the beginning of a clause.
• It is a literary and somewhat formal word, more common in written Vietnamese than in everyday casual speech.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Trời hốt nhiên đổ mưa. (It suddenly started to rain.)
  • Hốt nhiên, cô ấy nhớ ra mình đã quên chìa khóa. (All of a sudden, she remembered she had forgotten her keys.)
  • Anh ta hốt nhiên dừng lại. (He stopped suddenly.)

Advanced Usage

• "hốt nhiên mà...": used to introduce a sudden event or realization within a sentence.
  • Đang yên lặng, hốt nhiên mà tiếng chuông reo lên. (It was quiet, and then suddenly the bell rang.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bất thình lình (adv): Suddenly, abruptly. A very close synonym, slightly more common.
• Đột nhiên (adv): Suddenly, unexpectedly. The most common and neutral synonym.
• Thình lình (adv): Abruptly, all of a sudden. Similar to "bất thình lình".
• Phút chốc (adv): In an instant, momentarily. Emphasizes the brief moment of change.

Synonyms

• Bỗng nhiên: Suddenly, all at once.
• Chợt: Suddenly (often for thoughts, realizations; more literary).

Related Idioms

• While "hốt nhiên" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used in contexts describing sudden changes, similar to:
  • "Sét đánh ngang tai" (idiom): Like a bolt of lightning striking beside one's ear; meaning completely unexpected and shocking news. This conveys a stronger sense of shock than "hốt nhiên".

1. All of a sudden