nhúc nhắc
Definition
- Verb:
- To make slight, hesitant movements: To move a little bit, often with difficulty or tentatively, such as after being still for a long time due to illness, stiffness, or lethargy. It implies a small, initial motion.
- To stir; to budge: To begin to show signs of movement or activity, often used to describe something or someone starting to move after a period of inactivity.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau trận ốm dài, bây giờ anh ấy mới bắt đầu nhúc nhắc. (After a long illness, he is now just beginning to make slight movements.)
- Đứa bé nhúc nhắc trong chăn rồi tỉnh dậy. (The child stirred under the blanket and woke up.)
- Xe cộ đã nhúc nhắc sau nhiều giờ tắc đường. (The traffic finally began to budge after many hours of being stuck.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a connotation of slowness, weakness, or initial effort. It is frequently used to describe the first, often laborious, movements after rest, sleep, paralysis, or a standstill.
Variants and Related Words
- Nhúc nhích (v): A very close synonym, also meaning to move slightly or to budge. The two words are often used interchangeably.
- Nó không nhúc nhích khỏi ghế. (He didn't budge from the chair.)
Synonyms
- To stir: To make a slight movement.
- To budge: To cause to move slightly, often used in negative contexts.
- To twitch: To make a small, sudden movement.
- To move slightly: A direct descriptive synonym.
Related Idioms
- While "nhúc nhắc" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used in descriptive phrases to emphasize sluggish or initial movement.
- Cả đoàn người nhúc nhắc tiến lên. (The whole crowd inched forward slowly.)