lặn lội
Definition
- Verb:
- To travel a long and arduous distance: The primary meaning of "lặn lội" is to undertake a journey that is long, difficult, and tiring, often involving hardship.
- To trek or trudge through hardship: It implies making a strenuous effort to travel, often through challenging terrain or circumstances.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Mẹ tôi lặn lội từ quê lên thành phố để thăm con. (My mother traveled a long and arduous distance from the countryside to the city to visit her child.)
- Anh ấy đã lặn lội khắp nơi để tìm việc làm. (He trekked everywhere to look for a job.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a connotation of sacrifice, dedication, and enduring physical difficulty for a purpose, such as for family or livelihood.
- Bà cụ lặn lội bán hàng rong mỗi ngày để nuôi cháu. (The old woman trudges through hardship selling street food every day to raise her grandchild.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lội (v): to wade, to walk through water or a difficult path.
- Lội suối (to wade across a stream).
Synonyms
- To trek: to make a long, difficult journey on foot.
- To trudge: to walk slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or difficult conditions.
- To travel laboriously: to journey with great effort.
Related Idioms
- Lặn lội nắng mưa: to endure sun and rain; to toil through all weather conditions.
- Người nông dân lặn lội nắng mưa trên cánh đồng. (The farmer toils through sun and rain in the fields.)