lay
/lei/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To shake, to cause to move slightly back and forth or from side to side: "lay" describes the action of causing something to move with a gentle, often repeated, motion, typically not from its own power but from an external force.
- To rock, to sway: It can also mean to cause something to move unsteadily or to oscillate.
Usage
- The verb "lay" is used to describe a gentle, often repetitive shaking or rocking motion. It implies the object being moved is not the primary agent; an external force (like wind or a person's hand) is causing the movement.
- It is commonly used with objects like trees, branches, bodies, or structures.
- Grammatical Note: "Lay" is a transitive verb. It requires a direct object (what is being shaken).
Examples
- Verb:
- Gió lay cành cây. (The wind shakes the tree branches.)
- Cô ấy lay vai tôi để đánh thức tôi dậy. (She shook my shoulder to wake me up.)
- Động đất nhẹ lay chuyển cả tòa nhà. (The mild earthquake rocked the entire building.)
Advanced Usage
- "lay lắt": to be in a precarious, unstable, or shaky state, often used figuratively.
- Công việc kinh doanh của họ đang lay lắt. (Their business is teetering on the edge.)
- "lay động": to shake, to cause to tremble (can be used literally or figuratively for emotions).
- Tin tức ấy lay động lòng người. (That news shook people's hearts.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lay lắt (verb phrase): to be unstable, to falter, to be on the verge of collapse.
- Lắc (verb): to shake (more vigorously or intentionally than "lay"). "Lắc" often implies a more forceful or controlled shaking action (e.g., shaking a bottle).
- Rung (verb): to vibrate, to shake (often from a internal force or resonance, like a phone vibrating or a string vibrating).
Synonyms
- Lắc: to shake.
- Rung: to vibrate, to shake.
- Chuyển: to move, to shift (less specific to a back-and-forth motion).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Lay gọi: to shake (someone) to call them (e.g., to wake them up).
- Mẹ lay gọi tôi dậy đi học. (Mom shook me awake to go to school.)
Related Idioms
- (Không có thành ngữ phổ biến nào sử dụng riêng từ "lay" một mình. Các thành ngữ thường sử dụng dạng kết hợp như "lay lắt".)