Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Worried and sad: A state of simultaneously feeling anxiety, concern, or worry, and sadness, sorrow, or melancholy.
   • Anxious and sorrowful: Describes a deep emotional state combining mental distress about potential problems with a heartache of grief or unhappiness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy trông rất lo buồn sau khi nghe tin đó. (She looks very worried and sad after hearing that news.)
  • Khuôn mặt lo buồn của anh ấy khiến tôi không yên tâm. (His worried and sad face makes me uneasy.)
  • Đừng lo buồn quá, mọi chuyện rồi sẽ ổn thôi. (Don't be so worried and sad, everything will be fine.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chìm đắm trong lo buồn": to be immersed/sunk in worry and sorrow.
  • Sau biến cố, ông ấy chìm đắm trong lo buồn. (After the incident, he was immersed in worry and sorrow.)
• "Nỗi lo buồn": (a feeling of) worry and sadness. This is a nominalized form where "lo buồn" is used as a noun phrase.
  • Nỗi lo buồn cứ đè nặng trong lòng cô. (The worry and sadness kept weighing heavily on her heart.)

Variants and Related Words

• Buồn lo (adj): This is a variant with the same core meaning (sad and worried), though the word order is reversed. The nuance is nearly identical.
  • Tâm trạng buồn lo (a sad and worried mood)
• Lo lắng (adj, v): to worry, to be anxious. This focuses solely on the "worry" aspect without the inherent "sadness."
• Buồn bã (adj): to be sad, sorrowful. This focuses solely on the "sadness" aspect without the inherent "worry."
• U sầu (adj): melancholy, gloomy. This emphasizes a deep, pensive sadness, not necessarily combined with active worry.

Synonyms

• Phiền muộn: troubled, distressed (encompasses worry and sorrow).
• Ưu tư: pensive with worry, melancholic concern.

Notes on Meaning

• Combined State: "Lo buồn" is a compound adjective describing a complex, blended emotional state. It is not simply "lo" (worry) plus "buồn" (sad) occurring separately, but rather the intermingling of the two into a single, pervasive feeling.
• Intensity: It often describes a sustained or profound state, not a momentary flicker of emotion.

1. to be worried and sad