Definition

1. Verb:
   • To worry, to be anxious: To feel uneasy, troubled, or concerned about a potential problem or an uncertain outcome.
   • To take care of, to attend to: To handle, manage, or be responsible for a task or for someone's well-being.
   • To scheme, to maneuver (for a purpose): To work, often through connections or influence, to achieve a specific goal or position.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To worry):
  • Tôi lo cho tương lai của con tôi. (I worry about my child's future.)
  • Đừng lo, mọi việc sẽ ổn thôi. (Don't worry, everything will be fine.)
• Verb (To take care of):
  • Mẹ tôi lo tất cả việc bếp núc trong nhà. (My mother takes care of all the cooking in the house.)
  • Anh ấy đang lo phần hậu cần cho sự kiện. (He is handling the logistics for the event.)
• Verb (To scheme):
  • Hắn ta đang lo chạy cho cái ghế trưởng phòng. (He is scheming/maneuvering to get the department head position.)

Advanced Usage

• "lo lắng": This is a common compound verb meaning "to worry anxiously." It intensifies the feeling of worry.
  • Cô ấy lo lắng suốt đêm vì kết quả kỳ thi. (She worried anxiously all night because of the exam results.)
• "lo xa": To plan or worry far ahead, to be forward-thinking (or overly anxious about the distant future).
  • Ông ấy là người biết lo xa, luôn có kế hoạch dự phòng. (He is a forward-thinking person, always having a backup plan.)
• "lo cho": To worry about/take care of (someone).
  • Cha mẹ luôn lo cho con cái. (Parents always worry about/take care of their children.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lo lắng (v): To be anxious, to worry.
• Lo âu (v): To be deeply worried, anxious (more formal/literary).
• Lo toan (v): To take care of, to manage (often implies handling multiple responsibilities).
• Lo liệu (v): To arrange, to make preparations (for something).
• Nỗi lo (n): A worry, a concern.

Synonyms

• Bận tâm: To be concerned about.
• Quan tâm: To care for, to pay attention to (less anxious than "lo").
• Chăm sóc: To take care of, to look after (focuses on physical care).
• Tính toán: To calculate, to plan (can overlap with the "scheming" sense).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Lo chu đáo: To take care of something meticulously and thoroughly.
  • Cô ấy lo chu đáo mọi chi tiết cho đám cưới. (She meticulously took care of every detail for the wedding.)
• Lo sốt vó: To be extremely worried, to worry oneself sick.
  • Tôi lo sốt vó khi con tôi bị sốt cao. (I worried myself sick when my child had a high fever.)

Related Idioms

• Lo bò trắng răng / Lo hươu lo vượn: To worry about unnecessary or trivial things; to worry for no good reason.
  • Việc đó chưa chắc xảy ra, đừng có lo bò trắng răng. (That might not even happen, don't worry for no reason.)
• Lo đầu tắt mặt tối / Lo trăm công nghìn việc: To be extremely busy with countless tasks and worries.
  • Mẹ tôi ngày nào cũng lo đầu tắt mặt tối. (My mother is busy with countless tasks from dawn till dusk every day.)
• Lo được lo mất: To be in a state of constant worry and uncertainty.
  • Anh ấy cứ lo được lo mất về khoản đầu tư mới. (He is in a constant state of worry about the new investment.)

verb

1. to bother; to worry; to attend to