Definition

Verb: - To appear and disappear alternately; to be faintly visible; to be glimpsed: Describes something that is seen intermittently, briefly, or indistinctly, often as a fleeting or partially obscured image.

Usage

This verb is used to describe the action of something (e.g., a figure, light, shape) that is not constantly or clearly visible. It often implies a sense of fleetingness, mystery, or gentle movement, such as something seen through a veil, foliage, or at a distance. - It is commonly used in literary, descriptive, and poetic contexts. - It often describes visual phenomena but can be used metaphorically.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Bóng người thấp thoáng sau những tán cây. (A figure was glimpsed behind the tree canopies.)
  • Ánh đèn thấp thoáng từ ngôi nhà nhỏ trên đồi. (Lights flickered from the small house on the hill.)
  • Ký ức về quê hương cứ thấp thoáng trong tâm trí anh. (Memories of his homeland kept flitting through his mind.)

Advanced Usage

• "thấp thoáng bóng ai/ cái gì": to catch a fleeting glimpse of someone/something.
  • Trong sương mù, tôi thấp thoáng bóng một con thuyền. (In the fog, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a boat.)
• "thấp thoáng đâu đó": to be vaguely visible somewhere.
  • Một nỗi buồn thấp thoáng đâu đó trong ánh mắt cô ấy. (A hint of sadness was vaguely visible somewhere in her eyes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thoáng qua (verb phrase): to pass fleetingly, to be transient.
  • Một ý nghĩ thoáng qua trong đầu. (A fleeting thought passed through my mind.)
• Thoáng thấy (verb phrase): to catch a brief glimpse of.
  • Tôi chỉ thoáng thấy bóng cô ấy ở ga tàu. (I only caught a brief glimpse of her shadow at the train station.)

Synonyms

• Lấp ló (verb): to appear and disappear (often from behind something); to peek in and out.
• Thoáng hiện (verb): to appear fleetingly.
• Mờ ảo (adjective): illusory, vague, indistinct (describes the quality of being unclear).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Bóng thấp thoáng": a flickering/shadowy figure; a vague silhouette.
  • Chỉ là bóng thấp thoáng ngoài cửa sổ, đừng sợ. (It's just a shadowy figure outside the window, don't be afraid.)
• "Thấp thoáng sau làn sương": to be faintly visible behind a veil of mist.
  • Ngọn núi thấp thoáng sau làn sương sớm. (The mountain was faintly visible behind the morning mist.)

verb

1. to appear and disappear alternately