Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Suddenly / All of a sudden: Used to describe an action or event that happens quickly and unexpectedly, without any warning.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Trời đang nắng, thốt nhiên mưa rơi. (It was sunny, then suddenly it rained.)
  • Cô ấy thốt nhiên dừng lại và quay đầu nhìn. (She suddenly stopped and turned to look.)
  • Thốt nhiên tôi nhớ ra mình đã quên chìa khóa. (All of a sudden, I remembered I had forgotten my keys.)

Advanced Usage

• Can be used at the beginning of a sentence to strongly emphasize the abruptness of the following event.
  • Thốt nhiên, mọi thứ trở nên yên tĩnh lạ thường. (Suddenly, everything became unusually quiet.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bất thình lình (adv): An adverb with a nearly identical meaning of "suddenly" or "unexpectedly."
• Đột nhiên (adv): Another common adverb meaning "suddenly" or "abruptly."

Synonyms

• Suddenly: Happening quickly and without warning.
• Abruptly: In a sudden and unexpected way.
• All at once: Suddenly and simultaneously.

Related Idioms

• While "thốt nhiên" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in narrative descriptions to convey surprise or abrupt change, similar to the English phrase "out of the blue."
  • Ý tưởng ấy đến với tôi một cách thốt nhiên. (That idea came to me out of the blue.)