thuỗn
Definition
- Adjective:
- Stunned; dumbfounded; stupefied: Describes a state of being mentally paralyzed or rendered speechless due to shock, bad news, or extreme surprise. The person appears vacant, motionless, and unresponsive.
- Excessively long (of a body part, especially the face): Describes something, typically a facial feature, as being disproportionately or unpleasantly elongated.
Usage Examples
Adjective (Stunned):
- Nghe tin buồn, anh ấy ngồi thuỗn ra cả giờ. (Hearing the sad news, he sat there stunned for hours.)
- Cô ấy đứng thuỗn người khi thấy kết quả. (She stood dumbfounded when she saw the result.)
Adjective (Excessively long):
- Khuôn mặt anh ta dài thuỗn. (His face is unpleasantly long.)
- Cái mũi thuỗn. (An excessively long nose.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "thuỗn" is considered colloquial and carries a negative, often slightly humorous or pitiful, connotation. It vividly paints a picture of a loss of vitality or normal proportion.
- The reduplicated form "thuồn thuỗn" intensifies the meaning, implying an even greater degree of stunned dullness or excessive length.
Variants and Related Words
- Thuồn thuỗn (adj, reduplicated form): Very stunned; very long and drooping.
- Đứa bé nhìn thuồn thuỗn. (The child looked utterly stupefied.)
Synonyms
- Stunned: shocked, dazed, stupefied.
- Dumbfounded: speechless, flabbergasted.
- Drooping: elongated, sagging, languid (for the "long" sense).
Related Idioms
Ngồi thuỗn ra: To sit stupefied/stock still.
- Thua cuộc, nó chỉ biết ngồi thuỗn ra. (Having lost, he could only sit there in a daze.)
Mặt dài thuỗn: A long, sad, or disappointed face.
- Nghe bị phê bình, nó làm mặt dài thuỗn. (Hearing the criticism, he pulled a long face.)