Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Unconscious, unaware, in a state of deep and oblivious rest: Describes a state of being completely unaware of one's surroundings, often due to deep sleep or absorption.
   • Quiet, subdued, without fuss: Describes an action, especially laughter, that is soft, muffled, or not loud.

2. Reduplicative form (láy): "khì khì":

   • With increased meaning: The reduplicated form intensifies the adjective, meaning "very quiet/unconscious" or "continuously in that state."

Usage Examples

• Adjective (following a verb):

  • Cậu ấy cười khì một mình khi đọc truyện cười. (He chuckled quietly to himself while reading a comic.)
  • Sau một ngày làm việc mệt mỏi, anh ấy ngủ khì cả đêm. (After a tiring day at work, he slept like a log all night.)

• Reduplicative form "khì khì":

  • Đứa trẻ ngủ khì khì trong nôi. (The child is sleeping very soundly in the cradle.)
  • Nghe thấy tin ấy, nó chỉ cười khì khì. (Upon hearing that news, he just chuckled softly and continuously.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cười khì": To chuckle; to laugh a quiet, often involuntary or private laugh.

  • Cô ấy cười khì khi nhớ lại kỷ niệm cũ. (She chuckled when remembering an old memory.)

• "Ngủ khì": To sleep like a log; to sleep very deeply and soundly.

  • Tiếng ồn không làm anh ấy thức giấc vì anh ấy đang ngủ khì. (The noise didn't wake him up because he was sleeping like a log.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khì khì (reduplicative): The intensified form of "khì," used to emphasize the state of being very quiet, unconscious, or continuous.
  • Nó làm việc khì khì cả ngày không nói gì. (He worked quietly and diligently all day without saying a word.)

Synonyms

• Khẽ: softly, gently (often for sound or action).
• Say: deeply (as in "ngủ say" - to sleep deeply).
• Lặng lẽ: silently, quietly.

Notes on Usage

• "Khì" is rarely used alone. It almost always follows specific verbs like "cười" (to laugh) or "ngủ" (to sleep) to form set phrases.
• It functions as an adjective complement, describing the manner or state of the verb.
• The word carries a nuance of something being done in an unassuming, unbothered, or completely absorbed manner.

1. Uconscious, quite
   • Cười khì
     To laugh a quite and unconscious laugh, to chuckle
   • Ngủ khì
     To sleep like a log.
2. (khì khì) (láy, ý tăng)