thấp thỏm
Definition
- Adjective/Adverb (describing a state of mind or manner):
- Anxious, apprehensive, on tenterhooks: A state of nervous worry or unease while waiting for an uncertain outcome. It describes a feeling of restless anxiety, often mixed with anticipation.
- Restlessly, with trepidation: To act or wait in a manner characterized by nervous agitation and suspense.
Usage Examples
- Adjective/Adverb:
- Cả gia đình thấp thỏm chờ tin. (The whole family waited apprehensively for news.)
- Lòng tôi thấp thỏm lo âu. (My heart was full of anxious worry.)
- Cô ấy thấp thỏm không yên. (She was restlessly anxious and could not be calm.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in a reduplicative form for emphasis: "thấp thỏm lo âu" (anxiously worried).
- It describes a prolonged, simmering anxiety rather than a sudden fright. The focus is on the filled with doubt.
Variants and Related Words
- Thấp thòm (adj/adv): A less common variant with a very similar meaning of being anxious or apprehensive.
Synonyms
- Anxious: Experiencing worry or unease.
- Apprehensive: Anxious that something bad will happen.
- On tenterhooks: In a state of nervous suspense.
- Trepidation: A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.
Related Idioms
- Thấp thỏm canh chừng: To keep an anxious watch.
- Người mẹ thấp thỏm canh chừng đứa con ốm. (The mother kept an anxious watch over her sick child.)
- Lòng thấp thỏm: An anxious heart/mind.
- Lòng thấp thỏm như lửa đốt. (An anxious heart is like being burned by fire.)