ngóc đầu

Definition

Intransitive Verb:
- To lift one's head up, to raise one's head: The literal action of lifting the head from a lowered or bowed position.
- To get better off, to recover (financially/socially): A figurative meaning describing the process of improving one's difficult situation, especially economically, after a period of hardship or poverty.

Usage Examples

Intransitive Verb (Literal):
- Nó ngã dúi xuống, mãi mới ngóc đầu lên được. (He fell headlong and took a long time to raise his head.)
- Con rùa ngóc đầu ra khỏi mai. (The turtle poked its head out of its shell.)
Intransitive Verb (Figurative):
- Có cách mạng, dân nghèo mới ngóc đầu lên được. (Only with the revolution could the poor begin to get better off.)
- Sau nhiều năm khó khăn, công ty anh ấy cuối cùng cũng ngóc đầu dậy. (After many difficult years, his company finally managed to recover.)

Advanced Usage

The phrase is often used with the particle "lên" or "dậy" (e.g., , ), which emphasizes the upward or resuming motion.
In its figurative sense, it strongly implies a struggle against adversity and a subsequent, often hard-won, improvement in status or condition.

Variants and Related Words

Ngẩng đầu (v): To raise one's head (often implies pride or defiance; less commonly used figuratively for economic recovery).
Ngỏng cổ (v): To crane one's neck (to look at something).
Cất đầu (v, less common): To lift one's head.

Synonyms

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Ngóc đầu lên: To raise one's head up / To begin to prosper.
Ngóc đầu dậy: To lift one's head up (from a lying position) / To resume activity after lying low.

Related Idioms

While "ngóc đầu" itself is a common phrase, it is a key component in expressions describing recovery, such as the examples above. It is not typically part of a longer, fixed idiomatic structure beyond .