rình
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To watch stealthily; to lie in wait for: To observe carefully and secretly, often from a hidden position, waiting for someone or something to appear or for an opportunity to act.
- To lurk; to stalk: To follow or observe someone or something furtively, typically with predatory intent.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con mèo đang rình con chuột. (The cat is stalking the mouse.)
- Tên trộm rình ở sau bụi cây. (The thief is lurking behind the bushes.)
- Cô ấy rình lúc mẹ đi vắng để mở tủ lấy kẹo. (She waited stealthily for when her mother was away to open the cabinet and take candy.)
Advanced Usage
"rình mò": to spy on; to snoop around. This compound implies a more active, investigative, and often intrusive form of stealthy observation.
- Hắn ta bị bắt quả tang đang rình mò quanh nhà hàng xóm. (He was caught red-handed snooping around the neighbor's house.)
"rình rập": to lurk; to prowl. This compound often conveys a sense of a persistent, threatening presence.
- Cảm giác có kẻ lạ đang rình rập khiến cô sợ hãi. (The feeling that a stranger was prowling made her afraid.)
Variants and Related Words
- Rình dịp (v): to wait for an opportunity; to bide one's time.
- Họ đang rình dịp để đầu tư vào thị trường. (They are waiting for an opportunity to invest in the market.)
Synonyms
- To stalk: To pursue or approach stealthily.
- To lurk: To remain hidden while waiting to ambush.
- To spy: To watch secretly.
- To lie in wait: To hide and wait for someone in order to attack or surprise them.
Related Idioms
- Rình như mèo rình chuột: To watch/stalk like a cat watches a mouse. This idiom describes watching someone with intense, patient, and predatory focus.
- Ông chủ cứ rình tôi như mèo rình chuột mỗi khi tôi đến muộn. (The boss stalks me like a cat stalking a mouse every time I'm late.)