Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Bitterly weeping; choked with sobs: Describes a state of intense, convulsive crying where sobs are repeated and overwhelming, often due to profound grief, injustice, or heartbreak. It implies a deeper, more sustained emotional pain than simple crying.
   • Heartbroken; lamenting bitterly: Conveys a sense of being wronged or suffering a deep injustice, leading to vocal, sorrowful lamentation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy khóc tức tưởi khi nghe tin dữ. (She wept bitterly upon hearing the bad news.)
  • Đứa trẻ ngồi tức tưởi một mình trong góc phòng. (The child sat sobbing bitterly alone in the corner of the room.)
  • Nỗi oan ức khiến anh ta kể lại câu chuyện một cách tức tưởi. (The sense of wrongful accusation made him recount the story in a heartbroken manner.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is primarily used as an adverb following verbs like "khóc" (to cry) or "nức nở" (to sob), or as a predicative adjective to describe the subject's state.
• It often carries a literary or descriptive tone, emphasizing the pitiful and sorrowful nature of the weeping.

Variants and Related Words

• Tức (adj): can mean angry, indignant, or stifled (as in breath). "Tức tưởi" builds on this sense of a stifled, overwhelming emotion.
• Nức nở (v): to sob. While "nức nở" describes the act of sobbing, "tức tưởi" describes the quality or state of being choked by those sobs.

Synonyms

• Bitterly: in a bitter, sorrowful manner.
• Convulsively: while shaking uncontrollably (from sobs).
• Heartbrokenly: in a heartbroken way.
• With bitter sobs: while producing anguished sobs.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Khóc tức tưởi: The most common collocation, meaning "to cry one's heart out" or "to weep bitterly."
  • Cậu bé khóc tức tưởi vì bị mất con chó yêu quý. (The boy cried his heart out because he lost his beloved dog.)