nằm sượt
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To lie stiffly or sprawled out: To be in a horizontal position with one's body stretched out fully and rigidly, often implying a lack of grace, suddenness, or being in an undignified or exhausted state.
- To fall and lie flat: To drop or collapse onto a surface and remain lying at full length, typically due to being tripped, fainting, or being knocked down.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Sau cú ngã, anh ta nằm sượt trên mặt đất. (After the fall, he lay sprawled on the ground.)
- Đứa trẻ mệt quá, về nhà là nằm sượt ra giường. (The child was so tired, he went home and flopped stiffly onto the bed.)
- Bị đẩy mạnh, nó nằm sượt ra sàn. (Pushed hard, he fell and lay flat on the floor.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a connotation of an unplanned, abrupt, or graceless action. It is not typically used for deliberate, comfortable lying down.
- It can describe the posture of a person who is extremely fatigued, unconscious, or defeated.
Variants and Related Words
- Nằm (v): to lie down. The core verb indicating a horizontal position.
- Sượt (adv/adj): This element adds the meaning of stiffness, rigidity, or the abrupt, full-length nature of the action. It is rarely used independently in modern Vietnamese outside of this and a few other phrases.
Synonyms
- To sprawl: To lie or sit with one's limbs spread out awkwardly.
- To lie stretched out: To lie with the body fully extended.
- To flop down: To sit or lie down in a heavy, relaxed, and sudden way.
Related Idioms
- While "nằm sượt" itself is a set phrase, it is conceptually related to expressions depicting sudden collapse or exhaustion.
- Ngã sượt: To fall flat or stiffly. This focuses more on the action of falling rather than the resulting state of lying.
- Cú trượt chân khiến nó ngã sượt. (The slip caused him to fall flat.)