Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Flustered, emotionally agitated: Describes a state of being emotionally stirred or unsettled, often with a mix of excitement, nervousness, or shyness. It typically refers to a temporary, noticeable emotional disturbance.
   • Palpitating (heart): Often used specifically to describe a heart that is beating quickly and irregularly due to strong emotion.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy thổn thức với cảm xúc thổn thện khi gặp lại người yêu cũ. (She sobbed with a flustered emotion upon meeting her old lover again.)
  • Nghe tin ấy, tim anh thổn thện. (Hearing that news, his heart palpitated.)
  • Cô gái có vẻ thổn thện trước đám đông. (The girl seemed flustered in front of the crowd.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is poetic and literary. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation and is more common in written Vietnamese, such as in novels, poems, or expressive prose.
• It often describes the inner, visceral feeling of emotional turbulence rather than just external nervousness.

Variants and Related Words

• Thổn thức (verb): To sob quietly, to weep softly. While "thổn thện" describes the agitated feeling, "thổn thức" describes the audible act of sobbing that often accompanies it.
  • Đứa trẻ thổn thức trong giấc ngủ. (The child sobbed quietly in its sleep.)

Synonyms

• Bồi hồi: Fluttered, emotionally stirred (often with nostalgia or anticipation).
• Xao xuyến: Moved, touched (emotionally stirred, often pleasantly).
• Hồi hộp: Nervous, anxious (with suspense or excitement).

Notes on Reference Definition

The provided reference from a Vietnamese-French dictionary ("laisser ses sein à découvert") appears to be an error or a definition for a different, possibly archaic or regional term. The standard and universally accepted meaning of "thổn thện" in modern Vietnamese is related to emotional agitation and heart palpitations, as detailed above.