trố
Definition
- Verb:
- To open (one's eyes) wide: To widen one's eyes, typically due to a strong emotion such as surprise, astonishment, or fear.
- To stare with wide-open eyes: To look at something with eyes opened widely in a fixed gaze, often indicating shock, disbelief, or intense curiosity.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cậu bé trố mắt nhìn con robot. (The boy opened his eyes wide looking at the robot.)
- Cô ấy trố mắt vì ngạc nhiên. (She stared wide-eyed in surprise.)
- Đừng có trố mắt nhìn người ta như thế! (Don't stare at people with your eyes wide open like that!)
Advanced Usage
- The verb "trố" is almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase "trố mắt" (to open one's eyes wide). It is rarely used alone.
- "trô trố": A reduplicated form for emphasis, meaning to stare with perfectly round, wide-open eyes, often for a prolonged period.
- Nó ngồi trô trố nhìn màn hình. (He sat there staring with wide, round eyes at the screen.)
Variants and Related Words
- Trố mắt (v): The standard compound phrase meaning to gawk, to gape, or to stare wide-eyed.
- Tròn mắt (v): A related phrase meaning to be wide-eyed with surprise, sometimes used similarly.
Synonyms
- To gape: To stare with one's mouth open, often in surprise.
- To gawk: To stare openly and stupidly.
- To stare: To look fixedly with wide eyes.
Related Idioms
- Trố mắt trố mũi: An intensified idiom meaning to be utterly flabbergasted or dumbfounded, with eyes and mouth agape in astonishment.
- Tin đó làm mọi người trố mắt trố mũi. (That news made everyone utterly dumbfounded.)