Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To creep, to stand on end (of hair): Refers to the physical sensation of one's hair, especially on the neck or arms, standing upright due to cold, fear, or a sudden eerie feeling.
   • To feel a chill of fear or dread: Describes the internal, often sudden, sensation of coldness or horror that causes the physical reaction of hair standing on end.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Nghe câu chuyện ma, tôi thấy sởn cả tóc gáy. (Listening to the ghost story, I felt my hair stand on end.)
  • Trời lạnh quá, da tôi sởn gai ốc. (It's so cold, my skin is creeping / I have goosebumps.)
  • Mỗi lần đi qua nghĩa địa ban đêm, anh ấy lại cảm thấy sởn. (Every time he passes the cemetery at night, he feels a creepy chill.)

Advanced Usage

• "sởn tóc gáy": Literally "for the hair on the nape to stand on end"; used to express extreme fear or horror.
  • Cảnh phim kinh dị đó khiến khán giả sởn tóc gáy. (That horror movie scene made the audience's hair stand on end.)
• "sởn gai ốc": Literally "for goosebumps to appear"; used to express a reaction to cold, fear, or sometimes profound emotion.
  • Bài phát biểu đầy cảm xúc khiến nhiều người sởn gai ốc. (The emotional speech gave many people goosebumps.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rởn: An older or less common variant with the same meaning as "sởn".
  • sợ rởn tóc gáy (to be scared to the point of one's hair standing on end)
• Sởn sợ: A compound word meaning "to be terrified" or "to feel a creeping fear".
  • Không gian âm u khiến tôi sởn sợ. (The gloomy atmosphere made me terrified.)
• Dựng (as in "dựng tóc gáy"): A synonym meaning "to make hair stand up", often used in similar contexts.

Synonyms

• Nổi da gà: To have goosebumps (more common for cold or slight fear).
• Ớn lạnh: To feel a chill (can be from cold or fear).
• Kinh hãi: To be horrified (stronger, focusing on the emotional terror rather than the physical sensation).

Related Idioms

• Sởn tóc gáy: (Idiom) To be scared stiff; to be terrified.
  • Câu chuyện kể của ông ấy làm tôi sởn tóc gáy. (His story made me scared stiff.)
• Sởn gai ốc: (Idiom) To get goosebumps.
  • Âm nhạc hay có thể khiến bạn sởn gai ốc. (Great music can give you goosebumps.)

verb

1. to creep, to stand on end