lún sâu

Chiếc xe bị lún sâu vào bùn.

Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To sink deeper, to become more deeply mired: Describes the action of sinking or settling further down into a soft substance (like mud, sand) or, more commonly, a metaphorical state (like debt, trouble, or a negative situation).
   • To become more deeply entrenched/involved: Indicates progressing further into a difficult, complex, or undesirable condition, often gradually and with increasing difficulty of escape.

Usage Examples

• Literal (Physical):
  • Xe bị lún sâu vào bùn. (The vehicle sank deep into the mud.)
  • Chân tôi lún sâu trong cát. (My feet sank deep into the sand.)
• Figurative (Metaphorical):
  • Công ty đang lún sâu vào nợ nần. (The company is sinking deeper into debt.)
  • Anh ấy lún sâu vào cuộc tranh cãi vô ích. (He became more deeply entrenched in a useless argument.)
  • Đất nước lún sâu vào khủng hoảng. (The country sank deeper into crisis.)

Advanced Usage

• "lún sâu vào trong...": This structure emphasizes the depth or the specific nature of the state being entered.
  • Cô ấy lún sâu vào trong suy nghĩ tiêu cực. (She sank deep into negative thoughts.)
• Used to describe a worsening passive or defensive position.
  • Lún sâu vào thế bị động. (To sink deeper into a passive/defensive position.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lún (verb): To sink, to subside.
  • Mặt đường bị lún. (The road surface has subsided.)
• Sâu (adjective/adverb): Deep, deeply.
• Sa lầy (verb): To bog down, to become mired (often used interchangeably with in figurative contexts, but can imply a more stuck or stagnant state).
  • Dự án đang sa lầy. (The project is bogged down.)

Synonyms

• Chìm sâu: To sink deep (similar, but often implies submersion in liquid).
• Đắm chìm: To be immersed, absorbed (often in thoughts or emotions).
• Mắc kẹt: To be stuck, trapped (focuses on the result of being unable to escape).

Related Phrases

• Càng ngày càng lún sâu: To sink deeper and deeper.
  • Tình hình tài chính của họ càng ngày càng lún sâu. (Their financial situation is sinking deeper and deeper.)
• Lún sâu không lối thoát: To sink deep with no way out.
  • Anh ta cảm thấy mình đang lún sâu không lối thoát. (He felt he was sinking deep with no way out.)

Related Idioms

• Lún sâu như chìm xuống bùn: To sink as if into mud (emphasizing the difficulty of extraction).
  • Vấn đề đó khiến tôi lún sâu như chìm xuống bùn. (That problem made me sink as if into mud.)