Definition

1. Intransitive verb:
   • To sit up suddenly: To quickly move from a lying or reclining position to a sitting position, often due to a sudden stimulus or impulse.

Usage

• The verb nhỏm is almost always used in combination with dậy to form the phrasal verb nhỏm dậy, meaning "to sit up suddenly."
• It describes a quick, often startled or alert, movement from lying down to sitting up.
• It is typically used in narrative contexts.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive verb:
  • Đang nằm, nghe có khách nhỏm dậy. (While lying down, hearing a guest, he/she sat up suddenly.)
  • Thấy y sĩ đến, bệnh nhân nhỏm dậy. (Seeing the doctor arrive, the patient sat up suddenly.)
  • Cô ấy nhỏm dậy khi nghe thấy tiếng động lạ. (She sat up suddenly when she heard a strange noise.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhỏm người dậy": A slightly more descriptive variant emphasizing the movement of the body.
  • Anh ta nhỏm người dậy, mắt mở to vì ngạc nhiên. (He sat his body up suddenly, eyes wide open in surprise.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngồi dậy: To sit up. This is the general, neutral term for the action. Nhỏm dậy implies a quicker, more sudden motion.
• Bật dậy: To spring up, to jump up. This implies an even faster, more energetic movement, potentially to a standing position.

Synonyms

• Ngồi bật dậy: To sit up with a start (combining the ideas of ngồi dậy and bật dậy).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Nhỏm dậy: To sit up suddenly. This is the primary and essential collocation for this verb.

1. Sit up suddenly
   • Đang nằm, nghe có khách nhỏm dậy
     To sit up suddenly when hearing a visitor coming