Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sleep a wink; to get a wink of sleep: "nhắp mắt" refers to the act of sleeping for a very short period, often used in negative constructions to indicate not sleeping at all.
   • To close one's eyes (for sleep): The literal meaning involves the action of closing one's eyes, specifically to rest or sleep.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Uống cà phê muộn quá, tôi nằm mãi không nhắp mắt được. (I drank coffee too late; I lay there for a long time without being able to sleep a wink.)
  • Đêm qua lo lắng, anh ấy chẳng nhắp mắt. (He was so worried last night that he didn't sleep a wink.)
  • Chỉ cần nhắp mắt một chút thôi là tôi sẽ thấy đỡ mệt. (If I could just close my eyes for a moment, I would feel less tired.)

Advanced Usage

• "Không/Nhịn/Chẳng nhắp mắt": This is a common negative idiom meaning "not to sleep a wink" or "to not get a single moment of sleep."
  • Suốt đêm chăm con ốm, cô ấy không nhắp mắt. (She stayed up all night caring for her sick child and didn't sleep a wink.)
• "Mãi không nhắp mắt được": To be unable to fall asleep for a long time.
  • Vì tiếng ồn, tôi nằm mãi không nhắp mắt được. (Because of the noise, I lay there for a long time unable to sleep.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhắm mắt (Verb): To close one's eyes. This is the standard term for closing one's eyes and is often used interchangeably with "nhắp mắt" in the context of sleep, though "nhắp mắt" specifically implies a brief sleep.
• Chợp mắt (Verb): To take a nap; to doze off. Similar to "nhắp mắt" but can imply a slightly longer or more intentional short sleep.
• Thiếp đi (Verb): To doze off; to fall asleep (often unintentionally or lightly).

Synonyms

• Ngủ được một chút: To sleep a little.
• Chợp mắt: To take a nap; to doze off (as mentioned above).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As "nhắp mắt" is a verb-object phrase itself, it does not combine with other particles to form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. Its usage is primarily idiomatic.

Related Idioms

• "Một giấc ngủ không nhắp mắt": A sleepless night; a night without any sleep.
  • Chuyến bay dài đã khiến tôi có một giấc ngủ không nhắp mắt. (The long flight gave me a sleepless night.)
• The phrase "nhắp mắt" is itself a key component of the common Vietnamese idiom "không nhắp mắt" (not to sleep a wink), as shown in the examples.

1. Sleep a wink
   • Uống nước chè đặc, nằm mãi không nhắm mắt được
     Not to sleep a wink all night from having had strong tea