lò dò
Definition
- Adverb/Adjective:
- To move slowly and hesitantly: Describes a manner of walking or moving very slowly, often with small, careful, or unsteady steps, as if feeling one's way or being unsure.
- To proceed cautiously or tentatively: Can describe a slow, deliberate, and watchful approach to an action or situation.
Usage Examples
- Adverb/Adjective:
- Đứa bé lò dò tập đi. (The child toddled slowly.)
- Ông cụ lò dò bước xuống cầu thang. (The old man inched his way down the stairs.)
- Cô ấy lò dò tìm đường trong bóng tối. (She groped her way slowly in the dark.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often implies a visual component of careful searching or navigating an unclear path.
- Anh ta lò dò tìm tài liệu trong đống giấy tờ lộn xộn. (He picked his way slowly through the messy pile of documents.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lần dò (v): to feel or grope one's way slowly and carefully.
- Phải lần dò từng bước trên con đường mòn. (One must feel their way step by step on the trail.)
Synonyms
- To toddle: to walk with short, unsteady steps (like a child).
- To inch: to move very slowly and gradually.
- To grope: to feel about or search blindly or uncertainly.
Related Idioms
- Lò dò như cò bắt tép: (Simile) To move as slowly and carefully as a heron catching tiny shrimp. This idiom perfectly illustrates the slow, deliberate, and watchful movement.
- Nó đi lò dò như cò bắt tép, mất cả tiếng đồng hồ mới sang được đường. (He crossed the street as slowly as a heron catching shrimp, taking a whole hour.)