Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Solitarily, lonely: Describes a state of being alone, isolated, or feeling a profound sense of solitude, often with a connotation of sadness or forlornness.
   • Lonesomely, desolately: Conveys a feeling of emptiness and isolation in one's surroundings or situation.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy ngồi vò võ một mình trong căn phòng trống. (He sat solitary and alone in the empty room.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy vò võ sau khi con cái đều đã lập gia đình và ra ở riêng. (She felt lonely after all her children got married and moved out.)
  • Chiếc thuyền nhỏ trôi vò võ giữa dòng sông rộng. (The small boat drifted lonesomely on the wide river.)

Advanced Usage

• "vò võ chờ đợi": to wait in lonely solitude.
  • Bà cụ vò võ chờ đợi tin tức từ người con đi xa. (The old woman waited in lonely solitude for news from her child who was far away.)
• "sống vò võ": to live a solitary, lonely life.
  • Ông lão sống vò võ trong ngôi nhà nhỏ cuối làng. (The old man lived a solitary, lonely life in the small house at the end of the village.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cô độc (adj): Lonely, solitary. (Emphasizes the state of being alone.)
• Lẻ loi (adj): Isolated, lone. (Often describes something single and separate.)
• Chơ vơ (adj): Forlorn, adrift. (Suggests being lost or without support.)

Synonyms

• Một mình: Alone, by oneself. (Neutral descriptor of being solo.)
• Cô quạnh: Desolate, bleakly lonely. (Stronger, often poetic sense of loneliness.)

Notes on Meaning

• Emotional Connotation: "Vò võ" strongly implies not just physical solitude but also an accompanying emotional state of sadness, longing, or melancholy. It is more poetic and evocative than the neutral "một mình" (alone).
• Literary Usage: This word is frequently found in poetry and classic literature to depict poignant scenes of isolation and is less common in casual, everyday speech.

adv

1. solitarily, lonely