Definition

Verb: - To lull to sleep: The primary meaning is to gently help someone, typically a baby or child, fall asleep, often by singing softly, rocking, or using other soothing methods. - To lull, to lull into a false sense of security: A figurative meaning describing the act of deceiving or pacifying someone, making them less vigilant or critical, often through comforting but misleading words or actions.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (to lull to sleep):
  • Mẹ thường hát để ru ngủ em bé. (The mother often sings to lull the baby to sleep.)
  • Tiếng mưa rơi đều đều có thể ru ngủ chúng ta. (The steady sound of rain can lull us to sleep.)
• Figurative meaning (to lull, to pacify deceptively):
  • Những lời hứa hão ấy chỉ nhằm ru ngủ dư luận. (Those empty promises are only meant to lull public opinion.)
  • Không nên để bị ru ngủ bởi vẻ ngoài yên bình. (One should not be lulled by the peaceful appearance.)

Advanced Usage

• "ru ngủ lương tâm": to lull one's conscience, to assuage guilt in a deceptive way.
  • Anh ta tìm cách ru ngủ lương tâm bằng những việc làm từ thiện. (He tries to lull his conscience with charitable acts.)
• "bài hát ru ngủ": a lullaby (a song to lull a child to sleep).
  • "À ơi" là âm điệu quen thuộc trong các bài hát ru ngủ Việt Nam. ("À ơi" is a familiar melody in Vietnamese lullabies.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ru (verb): to lull. Often used alone with the same core meaning.
  • Mẹ ru con. (The mother lulls her child.)
• Ngủ (verb): to sleep. The object of the action "ru".
• Sự ru ngủ (noun): the act of lulling to sleep; the state of being lulled.
  • Sự ru ngủ của âm nhạc. (The lulling effect of music.)

Synonyms

• Dỗ ngủ (verb): to coax to sleep. Very close in meaning, often interchangeable in the literal sense.
• Làm cho buồn ngủ (verb phrase): to make sleepy.
• Làm mê muội (verb phrase): to befuddle, to delude. A synonym for the figurative meaning.
• Làm tê liệt tinh thần (verb phrase): to paralyze the spirit/mind. Used in political/social contexts.

Related Phrases

• Ru ngủ tinh thần cảnh giác: to lull the spirit of vigilance.
  • Chiến dịch tuyên truyền nhằm ru ngủ tinh thần cảnh giác của đối phương. (The propaganda campaign aims to lull the opponent's vigilance.)
• Bị ru ngủ trong chiến thắng: to be lulled by victory (into complacency).
  • Đội bóng không được phép bị ru ngủ trong chiến thắng. (The team must not be lulled by victory.)

Related Idioms

• Ru ngủ quần chúng: to lull the masses (into passivity). A common political idiom.
  • Chính sách đó chỉ là thủ đoạn để ru ngủ quần chúng. (That policy is merely a tactic to lull the masses.)

verb

1. to lull to sleep