Definition

1. Adjective/Adverbial phrase:
   • Unceasing, incessant, endless: Describes an action, state, or process that continues without stopping or seems to have no end.
   • Relentless, persistent: Indicates something that is continuous and does not let up.

Usage Examples

• Adjective/Adverbial phrase:
  • Cơn mưa rơi không dứt suốt ba ngày. (The rain fell incessantly for three days.)
  • Tiếng khóc của em bé vang lên không dứt. (The baby's crying rang out unceasingly.)
  • Anh ấy có một nỗi buồn không dứt. (He has an endless sadness.)

Advanced Usage

• "không dứt ra được": Cannot break free from, cannot detach oneself from.

  • Cô ấy không dứt ra được khỏi những kỷ niệm cũ. (She cannot break free from the old memories.)

• "tình cảm không dứt": Undying/Unending affection.

  • Tình cảm của mẹ dành cho con là không dứt. (A mother's love for her child is unending.)

Variants and Related Words

• Không ngừng (adv): Continuously, unceasingly. Often used interchangeably with "không dứt" but can sound slightly more formal or literary.

  • Cô ấy làm việc không ngừng. (She works non-stop.)

• Vô tận (adj): Infinite, boundless. Emphasizes limitless extent rather than just continuous duration.

  • biển trời vô tận (the boundless sea and sky)

• Liên miên (adj): Prolonged, dragging on. Often carries a nuance of being tiresomely long or monotonous.

  • cơn bệnh liên miên (a prolonged illness)

Synonyms

• Liên tục: Continuous, consecutive.
• Không ngớt: Without pause, unremitting (often used for speech or noise).
• Triền miên: Protracted, enduring (often for negative situations).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "không dứt" is an adjectival/phrasal construct, not a verb, so it does not form phrasal verbs. Its usage is similar to an adverb or adjective.)

Related Idioms

• Dây dưa không dứt: To drag on and on without resolution; to be interminably protracted.
  • Vụ kiện đó dây dưa không dứt. (That lawsuit dragged on and on without end.)