Definition

1. Adverb:
   • For no reason; without any apparent cause or justification. Used to describe an action or event that happens unexpectedly or without a logical explanation.
   • Suddenly; all of a sudden. Indicates something occurs abruptly or without prior warning.
   • By chance; by accident. Refers to something happening unintentionally or without premeditation.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy khi không tới thăm tôi. (He came to visit me for no reason / all of a sudden.)
  • Cô ấy khi không cười lên. (She suddenly burst out laughing.)
  • Có vất vả mới có thanh nhàn, Khi không ai dễ cầm tàn che cho. (Leisure only comes from hard work; it is no accident that someone holds a parasol for you.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a rhetorical or poetic context to emphasize the unexpected or inexplicable nature of an event. It can carry a nuance of mild surprise or bewilderment.

Variants and Related Words

• Bỗng nhiên (adv): suddenly, all of a sudden.
  • Trời bỗng nhiên đổ mưa. (It suddenly started to rain.)
• Bỗng dưng (adv): for no reason, suddenly.
  • Nó bỗng dưng giận tôi. (He got angry with me for no reason.)
• Tự dưng (adv): spontaneously, without reason.
  • Tự dưng tôi nhớ tới bạn. (I spontaneously remembered my friend.)

Synonyms

• Unexpectedly: in a way that is not expected or anticipated.
• Without reason: lacking a cause or motive.
• Suddenly: quickly and without warning.

Related Idioms

• Khi không bỗng dưng: An emphatic phrase reinforcing the sense of something happening utterly without warning or cause.
  • Khi không bỗng dưng anh ta biến mất. (He disappeared completely out of the blue.)

1. By chance, by accident
   • Có vất vả mới có thanh nhàn, Khi không ai dễ cầm tàn che cho (ca dao)
     Leisure only come frome hard work, It is no accident that someone holds a parasol for you