trầm tư mặc tưởng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Deep in thought / lost in contemplation: A state of being completely absorbed in one's own thoughts, often appearing quiet, serious, and detached from one's immediate surroundings. It implies a profound, silent, and sustained period of reflection.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau khi nghe tin, anh ấy ngồi trầm tư mặc tưởng cả giờ. (After hearing the news, he sat deep in thought for hours.)
- Vẻ mặt trầm tư mặc tưởng của nhà triết học. (The philosopher's pensive, contemplative expression.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used in literary or formal contexts to describe a character's state of mind, emphasizing depth, silence, and duration of contemplation.
Variants and Related Words
- Trầm tư (adj): pensive, thoughtful. A shorter, more common form with a similar meaning but slightly less depth and duration implied.
- Cô gái trầm tư nhìn ra cửa sổ. (The pensive girl looked out the window.)
Synonyms
- Contemplative: focused on deep thought.
- Pensive: engaged in serious, quiet thought.
- Meditative: absorbed in meditation or thought.
- Preoccupied: engrossed in thought to the exclusion of other things.
Related Idioms
- While "trầm tư mặc tưởng" itself is a set phrase, it is related to the concept of:
- Đăm đăm suy nghĩ: to be intently and fixedly thinking.