Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Quiet, silent: Describes a state or atmosphere that is free from noise, sound, or commotion. It emphasizes a deep, pervasive stillness.
   • Still, motionless: Can describe a scene or object that is calm and without movement.
   • Taciturn, wordless: Describes a person who is silent, not speaking, often due to contemplation, sadness, or a quiet nature.

2. Adverb:

   • Quietly, silently: Describes the manner of an action performed without making noise or drawing attention.
   • Softly, gently: Suggests a careful, unobtrusive, or subdued way of doing something.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Căn phòng hoàn toàn lặng lẽ. (The room was completely silent.)
  • Mặt hồ lặng lẽ vào buổi sáng. (The lake surface was still in the morning.)
  • Cô ấy là một người lặng lẽ và hay suy tư. (She is a quiet and thoughtful person.)

• Adverb:

  • Anh ấy lặng lẽ đóng cửa lại. (He closed the door quietly.)
  • Cô ấy lặng lẽ rời khỏi bữa tiệc. (She left the party silently.)
  • Đứa trẻ lặng lẽ khóc trong góc phòng. (The child cried softly in the corner of the room.)

Advanced Usage

• "lặng lẽ dõi theo": to silently watch/follow (someone or something), often with care or concern.

  • Người mẹ lặng lẽ dõi theo bước chân con. (The mother silently watched her child's steps.)

• Used to describe a profound, often melancholic or poetic, state of quiet.

  • Một tình yêu lặng lẽ. (A quiet, unspoken love.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lặng im (adj): silent, hushed. Often interchangeable with "lặng lẽ" but can imply a more abrupt or imposed silence.
• Im lặng (adj, v): silent; to be silent. A more general and common term for silence.
• Âm thầm (adj, adv): secretively, quietly (often with a connotation of doing something privately or without acknowledgment). While similar, "âm thầm" focuses more on the hidden nature of the action, whereas "lặng lẽ" focuses on the absence of sound.

Synonyms

• Quiet: making little or no noise.
• Silent: completely without sound.
• Still: without movement.
• Taciturn: reserved or uncommunicative in speech.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Lặng lẽ ra đi: to leave quietly/often implies leaving without farewells or notice.

  • Ông cụ lặng lẽ ra đi trong giấc ngủ. (The old man passed away quietly in his sleep.)

• Nỗi buồn lặng lẽ: a quiet/silent sorrow.

  • Cô ấy giấu một nỗi buồn lặng lẽ. (She hides a quiet sorrow.)

adj

1. quiet, silent