Definition

1. Intransitive verb:
   • To struggle upward, to strive to rise from a lower position (especially through water or a difficult medium): "ngoi" describes the strenuous effort of moving or climbing upwards, often from a submerged or low point.
   • To strive laboriously towards a goal or finish line: "ngoi" can also mean to make a prolonged, difficult effort to reach an objective.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive verb:
  • Con chó rơi xuống nước cố ngoi lên bờ. (The dog who fell into the water strenuously struggled up onto the shore.)
  • Sau nhiều năm vất vả, anh ấy đã ngoi lên được vị trí quản lý. (After many years of hardship, he managed to struggle up to a managerial position.)
  • Vận động viên bơi lội đang ngoi lên mặt nước để hít thở. (The swimmer is struggling up to the water's surface to breathe.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngoi ngóp": This is a common reduplicative form that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing a desperate, gasping, or extremely strenuous struggle.
  • Anh ta ngoi ngóp mãi mới thoát khỏi cảnh nợ nần. (He struggled desperately for a long time before escaping his debts.)
• Used figuratively to describe social or economic advancement through great difficulty.
  • Gia đình họ đã phải ngoi lên từ đáy của xã hội. (Their family had to struggle up from the bottom of society.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoi ngóp (reduplicative verb): To struggle desperately, to strive with great difficulty.
• Trườn (verb): To crawl, to creep (can share the sense of laborious movement but not specifically upward).
• Vươn lên (verb): To rise up, to strive upward (a more general synonym, less connotative of desperate struggle).

Synonyms

• Vật lộn: To wrestle, to struggle (physically or with a problem).
• Cố gắng: To try, to strive (a more general term for effort).
• Leo lên: To climb up (implies using limbs on a surface).

Notes on Meaning

• The core image of "ngoi" involves a strenuous, often slow and arduous, upward movement against resistance (like water, mud, or difficult circumstances).
• It strongly implies effort, perseverance, and often a sense of desperation or urgency. It is not used for easy or graceful ascent.
• While the primary examples often involve water, its modern use is frequently metaphorical, applied to careers, social status, or escaping difficult situations.

1. Creep strenuously up
   • Con chó rơi xuống nước cố ngoi lên bờ
     The dog who fell into the water strenuously crept up on the shore
2. Strive toward, struggle for a long time toward the finish