Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sob: To cry with short, convulsive breaths, often accompanied by audible gasps or catches in the voice. It describes a form of weeping that is not continuous but broken by involuntary spasms.
   • To weep convulsively: To cry in a shaken, interrupted manner, typically due to intense grief, pain, or emotion.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa trẻ nấc nở trong vòng tay mẹ. (The child sobbed in its mother's arms.)
  • Cô ấy nấc nở kể lại câu chuyện đau lòng. (She sobbed while recounting the heartbreaking story.)
  • Tiếng nấc nở vang lên trong đám tang. (The sound of sobbing rose during the funeral.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "nấc nở" is often used in literary and descriptive contexts to convey a deeper, more visceral level of sadness than standard words for crying. It emphasizes the physical struggle and loss of control that accompanies profound sorrow.

Variants and Related Words

• Nức nở (v): This is a more common standard variant with the same meaning: to sob, to weep convulsively.
  • Cô gái nức nở vì thất tình. (The girl sobbed because of a broken heart.)
• Nấc (v): To hiccup; to have a spasmodic catch in the throat. This is the root component suggesting a convulsive action.
• Khóc (v): To cry, to weep. This is the general term, while "nấc nở" specifies a type of crying.

Synonyms

• Sob: To cry noisily, taking in short, sudden breaths.
• Bawl: To cry loudly, but not necessarily with the convulsive quality of sobbing.
• Weep convulsively: To cry with intense, shaking breaths.

Related Idioms

• Nấc lên nấc xuống: To be choked with sobs; to sob uncontrollably. This idiom intensifies the image of "nấc nở".
  • Nghe tin dữ, bà cụ nấc lên nấc xuống. (Upon hearing the bad news, the old woman was choked with sobs.)