lông lốc
Definition
- Adverb:
- Rolling and tumbling: Describes the manner of something rolling or tumbling away, often with a sense of continuous, uncontrolled, or rapid motion.
- Completely, utterly: Used as an intensifier, often in a colloquial or descriptive sense, to mean "entirely," "completely," or "totally," especially when describing a round or bare state.
Usage Examples
Adverb (Rolling motion):
- Cái thúng lăn lông lốc ngoài gió. (The basket tumbled away rolling in the wind.)
- Quả bóng lăn lông lốc xuống dốc. (The ball rolled tumbling down the slope.)
Adverb (Completely/utterly):
- Đầu trọc lông lốc. (A head that is completely shaved bald.)
- Tròn lông lốc. (Perfectly round; completely round.)
Advanced Usage
"lăn lông lốc": This is the most common collocation, meaning to roll away tumbling or to tumble along.
- Chiếc xe đạp đổ, bánh xe lăn lông lốc. (The bicycle fell over, and its wheel went tumbling away.)
Used to vividly depict a scene where an object moves away by rolling, often with a slightly humorous or rustic tone.
Variants and Related Words
- Lăn (verb): to roll.
- Lốc (noun, in other contexts): a whirlwind; a gust. (Note: In "lông lốc," it functions as part of an adverb and does not carry this meaning separately.)
Synonyms
- Lăn tròn (verb phrase): to roll round.
- Lăn quay (verb phrase): to roll spinning.
- Hoàn toàn (adverb): completely, entirely (for the intensifier meaning).
Notes on Meaning
- The word "lông lốc" is primarily used as an adverb and is almost always paired with the verb "lăn" (to roll) to form the phrase "lăn lông lốc."
- When used as an intensifier (e.g., , ), it carries a strong descriptive, often visual, emphasis on the state being described. This usage is informal and vivid.