Definition

Verb: - To writhe; to squirm: To twist and turn one's body violently, often uncontrollably, due to intense pain, discomfort, or extreme emotion.

Usage

The verb quằn quại is used to describe a physical reaction to severe pain or distress. It implies a strong, often involuntary, contortion of the body. - It is typically used in contexts involving physical agony (e.g., from injury or illness) or extreme emotional suffering. - It often appears with words indicating the cause of the pain, such as vì (because of) or vì đau (because of pain).

Usage Examples

• Động từ (Verb):
  • Cô ấy quằn quại trên giường vì cơn đau dữ dội. (She writhed in bed because of the severe pain.)
  • Con rắn bị thương quằn quại trên mặt đất. (The injured snake squirmed on the ground.)
  • Anh ta quằn quại trong cơn giận dữ. (He writhed in anger.)

Advanced Usage

• Quằn quại trong đau đớn: To writhe in agony.
  • Bệnh nhân quằn quại trong đau đớn mà không có thuốc giảm đau. (The patient writhed in agony without painkillers.)
• Quằn quại vì đau bụng: To writhe because of a stomachache.
  • Đêm qua tôi quằn quại vì đau bụng. (Last night I writhed because of a stomachache.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vặn vẹo (verb): To twist, to wriggle. (Can describe a less intense or more controlled movement than quằn quại).
• Vật vã (verb): To struggle, to be in torment. (Often used for both physical and mental anguish, sometimes overlapping with quằn quại).

Synonyms

• Giãy giụa (verb): To thrash about, to struggle convulsively. (Very similar in intensity to quằn quại, often used interchangeably).
• Uốn éo (verb): To undulate, to wiggle. (Generally describes smoother, more sinuous movements, not necessarily due to pain).

Related Idioms

While quằn quại itself is not commonly part of fixed idioms, it is a strong descriptive verb often found in vivid depictions of suffering. - Đau đến mức quằn quại: To be in so much pain that one writhes. - Cơn đau gút khiến ông ấy đau đến mức quằn quại. (The gout pain made him writhe in agony.)

verb

1. to wirthe; to squirm
   • đau bụng quằn quại
     to writhe in one's bed because of a belly-ache