Definition

Verb (Intransitive): - To regain consciousness, to come round, or to come to. This term specifically describes the act of returning to a conscious state after having fainted, lost consciousness, or been in a deep, stuporous sleep. It implies a recovery of awareness and sensory perception.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau khi được sơ cứu, người bị nạn đã lai tỉnh. (After receiving first aid, the victim regained consciousness.)
  • Cô ấy ngất xỉu và nửa giờ sau mới lai tỉnh. (She fainted and only came round half an hour later.)
  • Bệnh nhân hôn mê ba ngày rồi bỗng nhiên lai tỉnh. (The patient was in a coma for three days and then suddenly regained consciousness.)

Advanced Usage

• The word lai tỉnh is considered somewhat formal or literary in modern Vietnamese. In everyday spoken language, tỉnh lại is more commonly used.
• It often carries a connotation of a gradual or difficult return to consciousness, rather than simply waking up from normal sleep.

Variants and Related Words

• Tỉnh lại (v): The more common, neutral phrase for "to regain consciousness" or "to wake up."
  • Anh ấy tỉnh lại sau cơn phẫu thuật. (He woke up after the surgery.)
• Hồi tỉnh (v): To revive, to come to; often used in medical or serious contexts.
  • Mọi nỗ lực để bệnh nhân hồi tỉnh đều thất bại. (All efforts to revive the patient failed.)
• Ngất (v): To faint, to lose consciousness.
  • Trời nóng khiến cô ấy bị ngất. (The heat caused her to faint.)

Synonyms

• Regain consciousness
• Come round
• Come to
• Revive
• Awaken (from unconsciousness)

Notes on Usage

• Lai tỉnh is typically used for humans and animals, not for machines or abstract concepts.
• It is an intransitive verb and does not take a direct object. You cannot "lai tỉnh" someone else; the action is performed by the subject upon itself.
• The term is most appropriate in narratives, medical descriptions, or formal reports.

1. Come to, come round, regain consciousness