khôn xiết
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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 .
- No end of
- "Khóc than khôn xiết sự tình " (Nguyễn Du)
- He lametend with no end of grief