méo mặt

Anh ấy méo mặt vì phải suy nghĩ quá nhiều.

Definition

1. Adjective phrase:
   • To have a distorted/worried face: To show a strained, twisted, or grimacing facial expression due to intense worry, stress, or extreme difficulty.
   • To be extremely stressed/overwhelmed: To be in a state of great anxiety or preoccupation, often from dealing with a troublesome or demanding situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective phrase:
  • Lo lắng về khoản nợ, anh ấy méo mặt suốt tháng. (Worried about the debt, he had a strained face all month.)
  • Thấy hóa đơn, cả nhà đều méo mặt. (Seeing the bill, the whole family looked overwhelmed.)
  • Công việc deadline khiến tôi méo mặt. (The deadline work made me extremely stressed.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often describes a prolonged state of visible distress or preoccupation, not a momentary reaction.
• It can be used in a slightly hyperbolic or colloquial way to emphasize the severity of a worry.

Variants and Related Words

• Méo mó (adj): distorted, misshapen (often for objects or faces in a literal sense).
  • Cái bát bị rơi méo mó. (The bowl was dropped and became misshapen.)

Synonyms

• To be worried sick: To be extremely anxious.
• To be stressed out: To be under great mental or emotional strain.
• To have a long face: To look sad or worried.

Related Idioms

• Chạy tiền méo mặt: To be extremely stressed from scrambling for money.

  • Dịp Tết, nhiều người chạy tiền méo mặt. (During Tet, many people are stressed out from scrambling for money.)

• Méo mặt vì lo: To have a distorted face from worrying.

  • Bà ấy méo mặt vì lo cho đứa con đi xa. (She was terribly worried about her child traveling far away.)