Definition

1. Verb:
   • To toss and turn (in bed): To move restlessly from side to side while lying down, often due to worry, anxiety, or physical discomfort, preventing sleep.
   • To ponder deeply; to be troubled by thoughts: To think anxiously and persistently about a problem, concern, or difficult decision; to be mentally preoccupied or tormented by something.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy trăn trở cả đêm vì lo lắng cho tương lai. (He tossed and turned all night worrying about the future.)
  • Cô ấy luôn trăn trở về quyết định nghỉ việc của mình. (She is constantly troubled by / pondering her decision to quit her job.)
  • Vấn đề đạo đức ấy khiến nhà khoa học trăn trở suốt nhiều năm. (That ethical issue made the scientist wrestle with it for many years.)

Advanced Usage

• "Trăn trở với...": To be deeply engaged with or troubled by a specific issue.
  • Anh ấy trăn trở với bài toán khó này đã lâu. (He has been grappling with this difficult problem for a long time.)
• "Nỗi trăn trở": (Noun phrase) A deep concern, a persistent worry.
  • Nỗi trăn trở lớn nhất của ông ấy là sự an toàn của công nhân. (His greatest concern is the safety of the workers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trằn trọc (verb): A near-synonym, specifically meaning to toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep. It emphasizes the physical restlessness more than the mental aspect.
  • Lo lắng khiến tôi trằn trọc mãi. (Worry made me toss and turn endlessly.)
• Băn khoăn (verb): To be hesitant, uncertain, or doubtful. It shares the sense of mental unease but is less intense and more about indecision than deep torment.
  • Tôi rất băn khoăn không biết nên chọn màu nào. (I am very hesitant / unsure about which color to choose.)

Synonyms

• To wrestle with (a problem): To struggle to deal with or understand a difficult issue.
• To be tormented by: To be caused severe mental or physical suffering by something.
• To agonize over: To worry or think about something very much.
• To be preoccupied with: To be constantly thinking about something.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Ăn không ngon, ngủ không yên": (Idiom) To eat without appetite and sleep restlessly. This idiom describes a state of deep worry and is closely related to the physical manifestation of trăn trở.
  • Vì nỗi lo công việc, anh ta ăn không ngon, ngủ không yên. (Because of work worries, he can't eat or sleep properly.)
• "Nằm suy nghĩ vẩn vơ": To lie awake thinking random, wandering thoughts. This captures the sleepless, pondering aspect of trăn trở.

verb

1. to toss about (in bed); to ponder