thất thểu
Definition
- Adjective / Adverb:
- Walking unsteadily or staggering: Describes a manner of walking that is shaky, faltering, or unstable, as if about to fall.
- Aimlessly or without a fixed place: Describes a state of being adrift, wandering around with no clear purpose or stable position.
Usage Examples
- Adjective / Adverb:
- Ông lão đi thất thểu trên con đường làng. (The old man walked unsteadily on the village road.)
- Sau khi bị ốm, anh ấy bước đi còn thất thểu. (After being ill, he still walked with a faltering step.)
- Cậu bé thất thểu ngoài phố cả ngày. (The boy wandered aimlessly on the street all day.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in its reduplicated form "thất tha thất thểu" to intensify the meaning, emphasizing a more pronounced state of unsteadiness or aimlessness.
- Bóng người thất tha thất thểu trong đêm mưa. (A figure staggered weakly through the rainy night.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lêu têu (adj): Describes something or someone dangling, hanging loosely, or being adrift without support, similar to the aimless connotation of "thất thểu."
Synonyms
- Stagger: To walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.
- Falter: To move hesitantly or unsteadily.
- Aimlessly: Without purpose or direction.
- Drift: To be carried along by currents or to move without control.
Related Idioms
- Chim đi thất thểu như chim tha mồi: (Proverb) Literally "A bird walks unsteadily like a bird carrying prey." Used to describe a very slow, careful, or faltering walk, often under a burden.