lẩy ba lẩy bẩy
Definition
- Adjective/Adverb (descriptive reduplicative phrase):
- To run or move in a clumsy, staggering, or unsteady manner: Describes the awkward, faltering, or stumbling movement of someone, often due to weakness, fear, old age, or carrying a heavy load. It emphasizes a lack of coordination and stability in motion.
- To speak in a faltering, hesitant, or stammering way: Can describe speech that is broken, shaky, or delivered with difficulty, often due to nervousness or emotion.
Usage Examples
- Describing movement:
- Ông cụ chạy lẩy ba lẩy bẩy về phía cổng. (The old man ran/staggered unsteadily towards the gate.)
- Đứa bé mới tập đi, bước lẩy ba lẩy bẩy. (The toddler is just learning to walk, stepping in a wobbly, clumsy manner.)
- Describing speech:
- Cô ấy khóc nức nở, kể lể lẩy ba lẩy bẩy. (She sobbed, telling her story in a faltering, broken voice.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase "lẩy ba lẩy bẩy" is a reduplicative form, a common feature in Vietnamese for creating vivid, expressive, and often onomatopoeic or mimetic descriptions. The base form is "lẩy bẩy."
- It is primarily used in descriptive narratives and spoken language to paint a vivid picture of physical or verbal instability.
Variants and Related Words
- Lẩy bẩy (adj/adv): The core, shorter form meaning unsteady, shaky, or tottering.
- Tay ông ấy run lẩy bẩy. (His hands were shaking unsteadily.)
- Lập bập (adj/adv): Often used similarly to describe trembling (from cold or fear) or stammering speech.
- Nó sợ đến nỗi nói lập bập. (He was so scared he stammered.)
Synonyms
- Stagger: To walk or move unsteadily.
- Totter: To move in a feeble or unsteady way.
- Falter: To speak hesitantly or to move unsteadily.
- Shaky: Trembling or unsteady.
Related Idioms
- While "lẩy ba lẩy bẩy" itself is an idiomatic phrase, it is related to expressions describing weakness or lack of firmness.
- Chân nam đá chân chiêu: To shift weight from one foot to the other; to be indecisive or unsteady in stance (can be metaphorical for indecision).