Definition

1. Adverb (Literary):
   • Inexhaustibly; beyond measure; to an infinite degree. Expresses an extreme, boundless, or immeasurable intensity of a state, emotion, or action. It conveys the idea that something is so great it cannot be exhausted or fully described.
   • Endlessly; without end. Used to emphasize the limitless or ceaseless nature of something.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Khóc than khôn xiết sự tình. (He lamented the situation with no end of grief / He wept and lamented inexhaustibly over the affair.)
  • Nỗi nhớ nhà da diết, khôn xiết. (The longing for home was acute, beyond measure.)
  • Cảm kích khôn xiết. (To be immeasurably grateful.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is primarily used in classical, poetic, or formal literary contexts. In modern spoken Vietnamese, synonyms like "vô cùng," "vô hạn," or "không xiết kể" are more common.
• It often modifies verbs or adjectives related to emotion (e.g., grief, gratitude, longing) or effort.

Variants and Related Words

• Khôn cùng (adv): An archaic/literary synonym meaning "endlessly," "extremely."
• Vô cùng (adv): Extremely, immensely. The most common modern equivalent.
• Vô hạn (adj/adv): Limitless, infinite.
• Không xiết kể (phrase): Cannot be fully told or described.

Synonyms

• Inexhaustibly
• Beyond measure
• Infinitely
• Endlessly
• Immeasurably

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Khôn xiết tả: Cannot be described fully; beyond description.
  • Vẻ đẹp ấy khôn xiết tả. (That beauty is beyond description.)
• While "khôn xiết" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it functions as an intensifier within poetic phrases, as seen in the classic example from .

1. No end of
   • "Khóc than khôn xiết sự tình " (Nguyễn Du)
2. He lametend with no end of grief