Definition

1. Adjective (Tính từ):
   • Deep and persistent (of a cough): Describes a cough that is low-pitched, heavy, and continues for a long time without stopping.
   • Hacking and continuous: Refers to a cough that is severe, sounds rough, and is prolonged.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy ho sù sụ suốt đêm vì cảm lạnh. (He had a deep, persistent cough all night because of a cold.)
  • Tiếng ho sù sụ của bệnh nhân vang khắp phòng chờ. (The patient's hacking, continuous cough echoed throughout the waiting room.)
  • Trời trở lạnh khiến cô bé ho sù sụ. (The cold weather made the little girl cough deeply and persistently.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ho sù sụ": This is the most common and almost fixed collocation. The word "sù sụ" is primarily used to modify the verb "ho" (to cough).
  • Sau trận mưa, ông cụ lại bắt đầu ho sù sụ. (After the rain, the old man started coughing deeply and persistently again.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sụ sù: This is a less common variant with the same meaning. The order of the rhyming syllables is reversed.
  • Nghe tiếng ho sụ sù từ phòng bên. (Hearing the deep, persistent cough from the next room.)
• Sù sụt: A related reduplicative word describing the sound of suppressed sobbing or sniffles, not coughing.
  • Cô bé khóc sù sụt. (The little girl sobbed with sniffles.)

Synonyms

• Dai dẳng: Persistent, lingering. (Focuses on the duration, not the sound.)
• Trầm đục: Deep and muffled/husky. (Can describe a voice or sound.)

Notes on Meaning

• Onomatopoeic and Reduplicative: "Sù sụ" is a reduplicative word (từ láy) that mimics the heavy, rumbling sound of a severe cough. Its usage is highly specific to describing the sound and nature of a cough.
• Limited Application: It is almost exclusively used with "ho" (to cough). It is not typically used to describe other sounds or actions.

1. xem sự (láy)
2. Deep and persistent (cough)