ríu lưỡi
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To become tongue-tied: To be unable to speak clearly or coherently, typically due to nervousness, confusion, or overwhelming emotion, causing one's words to become jumbled or stuck.
- To stammer/trip over one's words: To speak with sudden, involuntary stops and repetitions because one is flustered or mentally disorganized.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Cậu ấy cứ ấp a ấp úng, rõ ràng là đang ríu lưỡi vì quá hồi hộp. (He kept mumbling and stammering, clearly tongue-tied from being too nervous.)
- Nghe tin sốc, cô ấy ríu lưỡi, không thể trả lời câu hỏi của phóng viên. (Upon hearing the shocking news, she became tongue-tied and couldn't answer the reporter's question.)
- Đứng trước đám đông lần đầu, tôi sợ mình sẽ ríu lưỡi. (Standing in front of a crowd for the first time, I'm afraid I'll trip over my words.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often describes a temporary state of speech impairment caused by psychological factors rather than a permanent physical condition. It emphasizes the internal state of being "flustered" or "mentally tangled" () as the direct cause.
Variants and Related Words
- Lắp bắp (v): to stammer, to stutter. This focuses more on the broken sound of speech.
- Ấp úng (v): to hem and haw, to speak haltingly with hesitation.
- Cà lăm (v): to stutter (often implying a more habitual or pronounced speech pattern).
Synonyms
- To be tongue-tied: To be unable to speak, as from shyness, embarrassment, or surprise.
- To flounder for words: To struggle to find the right words to say.
- To get one's tongue in a knot: An idiomatic expression for becoming confused while speaking.
Related Idioms
- While "ríu lưỡi" itself is an idiomatic phrase, it is related conceptually to expressions like:
- Nói không nên lời: To be unable to produce words; speechless.
- Nghẹn lời: To be choked up; to have words stuck in one's throat due to strong emotion.