thở dốc
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To pant / to gasp for breath: To breathe quickly, heavily, and with difficulty, typically after strenuous physical exertion or due to a lack of oxygen.
- To be out of breath: To experience shortness of breath, often accompanied by rapid, audible inhalation and exhalation.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Sau khi chạy lên cầu thang, cô ấy ngồi xuống thở dốc. (After running up the stairs, she sat down panting.)
- Vận động viên dừng lại, tay chống hông và thở dốc. (The athlete stopped, hands on hips, gasping for breath.)
- Anh ấy leo núi và bắt đầu thở dốc chỉ sau mười phút. (He went hiking and started to be out of breath after just ten minutes.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often describes a state of temporary respiratory distress caused by overexertion. It implies a visible and audible struggle to regain normal breathing.
Variants and Related Words
- Thở hổn hển (verb phrase): To pant heavily, to gasp. This is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "thở dốc."
- Đứa bé thở hổn hển sau khi chơi đuổi bắt. (The child was panting heavily after playing tag.)
Synonyms
- Pant: To breathe in short, quick breaths.
- Gasp: To catch one's breath with an open mouth, as in shock or exhaustion.
- Be winded: To be temporarily unable to breathe easily due to exertion.
Related Idioms
- While "thở dốc" itself is a descriptive phrase, it is commonly used in figurative expressions to describe extreme mental or physical effort.
- Công việc này khiến tôi thở không ra hơi. (This job leaves me breathless.) This idiom conveys a similar sense of being overwhelmed or exhausted.