lắt lay
Definition
- Verb:
- To sway gently and repeatedly: Describes a light, often unsteady, back-and-forth or side-to-side movement, typically caused by a light force like a breeze.
- To flicker (for a light or flame): Describes a small, unsteady, wavering movement of a weak flame or light source.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ngọn nến lắt lay trong gió. (The candle flame flickered in the wind.)
- Những cành cây khô lắt lay. (The dry branches swayed gently.)
- Chiếc bóng đèn treo lắt lay. (The hanging light bulb swayed.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used to depict a fragile, delicate, or precarious state of movement. It implies a lack of stability and a susceptibility to external forces.
- Can be used figuratively to describe something unstable or wavering, such as a faint hope or a precarious situation.
- Hy vọng nhỏ nhoi ấy vẫn còn lắt lay. (That tiny hope still flickered.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lay lắt (adj/verb): A variant form with a similar meaning, often emphasizing a prolonged, feeble, and struggling state. It can describe a barely sustainable life or a faint, persistent light.
- Cuộc sống lay lắt. (A hand-to-mouth existence.)
- Đung đưa (v): To swing (generally with more amplitude and control than ).
- Phấp phới (v): To flutter (like a flag, with a lighter, more vibrant motion).
Synonyms
- Sway: to move slowly and gently back and forth.
- Flicker: to burn or shine unsteadily.
- Waver: to move quiveringly; to flicker.
Related Idioms
- Lắt lay như ngọn đèn trước gió: To be as flickering as a lamp in the wind. This idiom describes a very precarious, unstable, or fragile state, often referring to health or life.
- Sức khỏe ông ấy lắt lay như ngọn đèn trước gió. (His health is as precarious as a lamp flickering in the wind.)