nhác thấy
Definition
- Verb:
- To catch a glimpse of; to see briefly or fleetingly: This describes the act of perceiving something or someone for a very short moment, often by chance, from a distance, or without a clear, full view.
- To glimpse; to spot: It implies a sudden, often momentary, visual detection.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Bóng hồng nhác thấy nẻo xa. (Catching a glimpse of the maiden's silhouette in the distance.)
- Tôi nhác thấy một con sóc chạy qua cành cây. (I glimpsed a squirrel running across a branch.)
- Nhác thấy bóng người lạ, con chó bắt đầu sủa. (Spotting the shadow of a stranger, the dog began to bark.)
Advanced Usage
- Literary and poetic usage: "Nhác thấy" is primarily used in literary, poetic, or formal contexts to convey a fleeting, often delicate or distant, visual impression. It is less common in everyday spoken language.
Variants and Related Words
Thoáng thấy (v): to see something very briefly as it passes by; to catch a fleeting sight of.
- Tôi chỉ thoáng thấy anh ấy ở ga tàu. (I only caught a fleeting sight of him at the train station.)
Trông thấy (v): to see, to spot (more general and common than "nhác thấy").
- Cậu bé trông thấy một con diều. (The boy saw a kite.)
Synonyms
- To glimpse: to see something or someone for a very short time.
- To catch sight of: to see something suddenly or briefly.
- To spot: to see or notice someone or something, often suddenly.
Related Idioms
This word is typically not used in common idioms. Its usage is generally confined to the specific meaning of a fleeting glimpse.