Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Flickering; Guttering: Describes a weak, unsteady, and wavering light, especially from a flame or a low-powered source, that seems on the verge of going out.
   • Dim and Flickering: Refers to a pale, faint light that shines intermittently and without strength.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngọn nến cháy leo lét trong góc phòng tối. (The candle burned flickeringly in the corner of the dark room.)
  • Chỉ còn ánh đèn dầu leo lét trên bàn. (Only the guttering oil lamp light remained on the table.)
  • Ánh sáng leo lét từ chiếc đèn pin sắp hết pin. (The dim and flickering light from the nearly dead flashlight.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "leo lét" often carries a connotation of loneliness, fragility, or a lingering presence in a vast darkness. It is frequently used in literary and descriptive contexts to set a mood.
  • Hy vọng leo lét cuối cùng cũng đã tắt. (The last flicker of hope finally died out.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lập lòe (adj): To twinkle or flash intermittently, like fireflies or distant lights. While also unsteady, "lập lòe" can imply more visibility or charm than the feeble "leo lét".
  • Đom đóm bay với ánh sáng lập lòe. (Fireflies flew with a twinkling light.)

Synonyms

• Flickering: Shining unsteadily; varying rapidly in brightness.
• Guttering: (Of a flame) burning fitfully and about to be extinguished, often as a liquid fuel runs out.
• Dim: Emitting or reflecting very little light; faint.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Leo lét như ngọn đèn dầu trước gió: As flickering as an oil lamp in the wind. This idiom emphasizes extreme vulnerability and the imminent risk of disappearing or failing.
  • Công ty mới thành lập, hoạt động leo lét như ngọn đèn dầu trước gió. (The newly established company operates as precariously as a flickering oil lamp in the wind.)

verb

1. to flicker; to burn unsteadily