lất phất
Definition
- Adverb / Adjective:
- To drizzle lightly; to fall in sparse, fine drops: Describes rain, snow, or similar precipitation falling in a very light, scattered, and almost mist-like manner.
- To be sparse and scattered; to be few and far between: Can describe things that are scattered thinly or occur infrequently and lightly.
Usage Examples
- Describing light rain:
- Ngoài trời mưa lất phất. (It's drizzling lightly outside.)
- Tuyết lất phất rơi trên mái nhà. (Snow fell lightly on the roof.)
- Describing sparse occurrence:
- Những ngôi sao lất phất trên bầu trời đêm. (Stars were scattered sparsely in the night sky.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used to evoke a gentle, soft, or melancholic atmosphere. It emphasizes the faint, almost negligible quality of the action or presence.
Variants and Related Words
- Lấm phấm (adj/adv): Often describes something very light and fine, like a light dusting or a faint sprinkle (e.g., of powder, freckles). While similar, "lấm phấm" is less commonly used for rain than "lất phất."
Synonyms
- To drizzle: To rain lightly in fine drops.
- To sprinkle: To scatter or fall in small, sparse drops or particles.
- Sparsely: In a scattered or infrequent manner.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Mưa lất phất: A common collocation meaning "a light drizzle."
- Buổi sáng có cơn mưa lất phất. (The morning had a light drizzle.)