ngoi ngóp

Con chó ngoi ngóp trong hồ để vào bờ.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To struggle to keep one's head above water; to flounder in water: Describes the strenuous action of a person or animal fighting to stay afloat or to reach the shore, often while gasping for air. It conveys a sense of desperate, tiring effort in water.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con chó ngoi ngóp mãi mới vào bờ được. (The dog struggled in the water for a long time before it could reach the shore.)
  • Người đàn ông ngoi ngóp giữa dòng nước lũ. (The man was floundering in the flood current.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used metaphorically to describe struggling in a difficult, overwhelming situation, similar to drowning in problems.
  • Công ty đang ngoi ngóp trong nợ nần. (The company is floundering in debt.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoi lên (v): to surface, to rise to the top of the water.
  • Người thợ lặn ngoi lên để lấy không khí. (The diver surfaced to get air.)

Synonyms

• Flounder: to struggle clumsily or helplessly.
• Struggle: to make strenuous efforts against difficulties.

Related Idioms

• While "ngoi ngóp" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its imagery is central to expressions describing severe struggle.
  • Ngoi ngóp như đuối nước (to struggle like a drowning person) is a common comparative phrase.