Definition

1. Verb:
   • To shake; to cause to move or vibrate with a continuous, often rhythmic, motion: The core meaning of "lắc" is to move something back and forth or side to side with short, quick movements.
   • To wag: Specifically used for the side-to-side movement of a tail or head.
   • To decline or refuse by shaking one's head: A common gesture meaning "no."

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Lắc bình trước khi uống. (Shake the bottle before drinking.)
  • Con chó vui mừng, lắc đuôi. (The happy dog wags its tail.)
  • Khi được mời, cô ấy chỉ lắc đầu. (When invited, she just shook her head [to say no].)

Advanced Usage

• "lắc đầu": to shake one's head (often to indicate refusal, denial, or disbelief).
  • Anh ta lắc đầu từ chối lời đề nghị. (He shook his head, refusing the offer.)
• "lắc lư": to sway, to rock (a more fluid, swinging motion, often of the body).
  • Cô ấy lắc lư theo điệu nhạc. (She swayed to the music.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lắc lư (verb): to sway, to rock. Indicates a gentler, more rhythmic movement than "lắc."
• Lăng lắc (verb, reduplicated form): to shake vigorously; can also imply something is very far away (colloquial, from "xa lăng lắc").
• Lắc chuông (verb phrase): to ring a bell (by shaking it).
• Giũ (verb, synonym): to shake out (e.g., dust from a blanket). Focuses on removing something by shaking.

Synonyms

• Lay (verb): to shake, to cause to tremble (often due to an external force like wind or fear).
• Rung (verb): to vibrate, to shake (often from a internal source like an engine or sound).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Lắc cho đều: to shake well/mix by shaking.
  • Lắc đều hỗn hợp trước khi đổ. (Shake the mixture well before pouring.)
• Lắc qua lắc lại: to shake back and forth.
  • Chiếc xe lắc qua lắc lại trên con đường gồ ghề. (The car shook back and forth on the bumpy road.)

Related Idioms

• Xa lắc xa lơ (idiom): very far away, in the middle of nowhere.
  • Nhà anh ấy ở xa lắc xa lơ. (His house is in the boondocks / very far away.)
• Lắc như quả lắc (simile): to shake like a leaf (or like a rattle); to tremble uncontrollably.
  • Sợ hãi, cô ấy đứng lắc như quả lắc. (Terrified, she stood there shaking like a leaf.)

verb

1. to shake; to wag; to bump
   • lắc đầu
     to shake one's head