Definition

1. Verb:
   • To lie awake / to be unable to sleep: The primary meaning of "thao thức" is to be in a state of wakefulness when one should be sleeping, often due to worry, anxiety, or deep preoccupation.
   • To be restless / to be in a state of anxious wakefulness: It describes a troubled, alert state of mind that prevents sleep, characterized by persistent thinking or concern.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy thao thức cả đêm vì lo lắng cho kỳ thi. (She lay awake all night worrying about the exam.)
  • Anh ấy thao thức suy nghĩ về quyết định quan trọng. (He was restless, thinking about the important decision.)
  • Tôi thao thức nghe tiếng mưa rơi. (I lay awake listening to the sound of the rain.)

Advanced Usage

• "thao thức canh khuya": to stay up late into the night keeping watch or being vigilantly awake.
  • Người mẹ thao thức canh khuya bên giường con ốm. (The mother stayed up late into the night watching over her sick child.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thức (v): to be awake. This is the root verb, while "thao thức" implies a more emotional or troubled wakefulness.
  • Đứa trẻ thức chờ mẹ về. (The child stays awake waiting for mother to return.)

Synonyms

• To lie awake: to be unable to sleep while in bed.
• To be sleepless: to experience an absence of sleep.
• To toss and turn: to move restlessly in bed, unable to sleep.

Related Idioms

• Thao thức năm canh: to lie awake through all the night watches (a poetic way to describe a sleepless night).
  • Nỗi nhớ nhà khiến anh thao thức năm canh. (Homesickness made him lie awake through the whole night.)