Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To have just finished speaking; to have the words just leave one's mouth. It describes the immediate moment after a person has uttered something, emphasizing that no time has passed before a related event occurs. It is often used in narrative contexts to highlight a swift consequence or reaction.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Mẹ răn vừa rời miệng, con đã nghịch rồi. (Hardly had the mother's admonishment left her mouth when the child got into mischief again.)
  • Lời hứa vừa rời miệng anh ấy đã hối hận. (The promise had just left his mouth when he already regretted it.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in a temporal construction with "vừa" (just) or "mới" (just) to form "vừa rời miệng" or "mới rời miệng," meaning "had just finished speaking."
• It is a literary and somewhat formal expression, commonly found in written narratives rather than casual conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Thốt ra (v): to utter, to let out (words). This is a more general verb for speaking something aloud.
  • Anh ta thốt ra lời xin lỗi. (He uttered an apology.)
• Cất lời (v): to begin to speak, to raise one's voice. This focuses on the start of speech, whereas "rời miệng" focuses on the end.
  • Cô ấy cất lời chào mọi người. (She began to greet everyone.)

Synonyms

• To have just said: A direct synonym focusing on the completed speech act.
• No sooner had (someone) spoken: An idiomatic English equivalent that captures the immediate consequence.

Related Idioms

• Lời vừa nói ra, gió đã cuốn đi: (The words just spoken, the wind has already carried them away.) An idiom implying that spoken words are quickly forgotten or are insubstantial. It shares the thematic connection of words leaving the mouth.

1. Have just finished speaking
   • Mẹ răn vừa rời miệng, con đã nghịch rồi
     Hardly had the mother finished her admonishment when the child got into mischief again