thoáng thấy
Definition
- Verb:
- To catch a fleeting glimpse of: To see something or someone very briefly and often indistinctly, as it passes quickly or is only partially visible.
- To glimpse: To get a momentary, incomplete view of something.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Tôi chỉ thoáng thấy bóng một người đi qua cửa sổ. (I only caught a fleeting glimpse of someone's shadow passing by the window.)
- Cô ấy thoáng thấy con mèo chạy vào bụi cây. (She glimpsed the cat running into the bushes.)
- Anh ấy thoáng thấy nụ cười của cô ấy trước khi cô quay đi. (He caught a fleeting glimpse of her smile before she turned away.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies that the perception was so brief or obscured that details are uncertain. It carries a nuance of something seen in passing, by chance, or through a narrow opening.
Variants and Related Words
Thoáng qua (v): to pass fleetingly; to flash by. This can refer to a sight, thought, or feeling.
- Một ý nghĩ buồn thoáng qua trong đầu cô. (A sad thought flashed through her mind.)
Thoáng (adv): fleetingly; briefly; in a flash. Used as an adverb to describe an action done quickly.
- Cơn gió thoáng qua. (The wind blew by fleetingly.)
Synonyms
- To glimpse: To see briefly or momentarily.
- To catch sight of: To see suddenly or for a short time.
- To spot: To see or notice something, often briefly.
Related Idioms
- While "thoáng thấy" itself is a set phrase, it is conceptually related to expressions about brief or unclear perception.
- Thoáng nghe: to catch a faint sound of; to overhear fleetingly.
- Tôi thoáng nghe thấy tiếng hát từ xa. (I faintly heard singing from afar.)