ngất nghểu
Definition
- Adjective:
- Precariously high or tall; teetering at a great height: Describes something that is very high or elevated but appears unstable, shaky, or as if it might topple over. It often conveys a sense of danger or dizziness induced by the height and lack of stability.
- Tottering; swaying unsteadily: Can describe the unstable, swaying movement of a tall or top-heavy object.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cậu bé trèo lên và ngồi ngất nghểu trên ngọn cây. (The boy climbed up and sat precariously high at the top of the tree.)
- Chiếc tháp cổ đứng ngất nghểu trên sườn núi. (The ancient tower stood teetering on the mountainside.)
- Nó đặt chồng sách ngất nghểu trên mép bàn. (He placed a tottering stack of books on the edge of the table.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in its reduplicative form "ngất nga ngất nghểu" to intensify the meaning of being very high and unsteady, often with a rhythmic or swaying connotation.
- Cây cột buồm ngất nga ngất nghểu trước gió lớn. (The mast swayed precariously tall in the strong wind.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngất ngưởng (adj): While sometimes used similarly, this more commonly means "jaunty," "cocky," or "swaggering," describing an attitude rather than physical instability.
Synonyms
- Tottering: swaying or rocking as if about to fall.
- Precarious: dangerously unstable or unsteady.
- Teetering: moving unsteadily as if about to fall.
Related Idioms
- While "ngất nghểu" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its descriptive nature is commonly used in phrases depicting dangerous heights or instability.
- Xây nhà ngất nghểu trên vách đá. (To build a house teetering high on a cliff face.)