ngáp
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To yawn: To involuntarily open one's mouth wide and inhale deeply, usually due to tiredness, boredom, or a need for oxygen.
- To gape: To be wide open, like a deep hole or chasm, often suggesting emptiness or a lack of something.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Trong cuộc họp dài, nhiều người bắt đầu ngáp. (During the long meeting, many people started to yawn.)
- Cô ấy ngáp dài vì thức khuya. (She gave a long yawn because she stayed up late.)
- Cánh đồng hoang vắng ngáp một không gian mênh mông. (The deserted field gaped with a vast space.)
Advanced Usage
"ngáp ngủ": to be sleepy, to yawn from sleepiness.
- Đứa trẻ ngáp ngủ trên ghế sofa. (The child was yawning sleepily on the sofa.)
"ngáp ngắn ngáp dài": to yawn repeatedly, indicating extreme boredom or fatigue.
- Học sinh ngáp ngắn ngáp dài trong giờ học cuối ngày. (The students were yawning repeatedly during the last class of the day.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngáp is primarily used as a verb. There is no direct noun form; the action itself is "a yawn" (cái ngáp).
Different Meanings
- Literal (Physiological): The physical act of yawning.
- Figurative (Colloquial): To be in a state of exhaustion, defeat, or lack of resources, often implying helplessness.
- Công ty đó sắp phải ngáp vì hết vốn. (That company is about to be left gaping/high and dry because it has run out of capital.)
Synonyms
- To yawn: The direct equivalent for the physiological action.
- To gape: To open wide, often used for inanimate objects.
Related Idioms and Expressions
Chó ngáp phải ruồi: Literally "a dog yawns and catches a fly." It describes an unexpected, often undeserved, piece of luck, usually for someone incompetent.
- Hắn thắng giải độc đắc thật à? Đúng là chó ngáp phải ruồi! (He won the jackpot? That's a real case of a dog yawning and catching a fly!)
Ăn bánh ngáp: A slang idiom meaning to have nothing to eat, to go hungry.
- Nếu không tìm được việc, chúng tôi sẽ phải ăn bánh ngáp mất. (If we don't find jobs, we'll have to eat "yawn bread"/go hungry.)
- động từ. to yawn; to gape; to give a yawn