lởn vởn
Definition
- Verb:
- To hover, to loiter, to hang around: To move around or linger in a place without a clear purpose or destination, often in a slow, idle, or aimless manner.
- To linger, to float around (of thoughts, feelings): To be persistently present in the mind without being clearly formed or resolved; to haunt one's thoughts.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to hover/loiter):
- Một người đàn ông lạ mặt cứ lởn vởn trước cổng. (A strange man kept hovering in front of the gate.)
- Bọn trẻ lởn vởn trong bếp, hy vọng được nếm thử thức ăn. (The children loitered in the kitchen, hoping to get a taste of the food.)
- Verb (of thoughts/feelings):
- Một cảm giác bất an vẫn lởn vởn trong tâm trí cô ấy. (A feeling of unease still lingered in her mind.)
- Nhiều ký ức về quê hương lởn vởn trong đầu anh ấy. (Many memories of his homeland floated around in his head.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a slightly negative or suspicious connotation when describing a person's physical presence, implying they are somewhere they shouldn't be or are acting suspiciously.
- When describing thoughts or feelings, it conveys a sense of something vague, unresolved, or haunting that one cannot easily dismiss.
Synonyms
- To loiter, to hover, to hang around, to prowl (for physical presence).
- To linger, to haunt, to float, to swirl, to trouble (for thoughts/feelings).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Lởn vởn như ma bóng: To hover around like a ghost/spirit. This idiom emphasizes a silent, persistent, and unsettling presence.
- Hắn ta lởn vởn như ma bóng quanh khu nhà chúng tôi. (He hovered around our neighborhood like a ghost.)