víu
Definition
- Verb:
- To cling to / to hold on tightly: The primary meaning of "víu" is to grasp or clutch something firmly for support, stability, or to prevent falling. It often implies a physical action of hanging on.
- To latch onto / to attach oneself to: It can describe the action of a person, especially a child, holding onto someone's clothing or body.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đứa trẻ víu vào tay mẹ khi đi xuống cầu thang. (The child clung to her mother's hand while going down the stairs.)
- Cậu bé víu lấy cành cây để không bị ngã. (The boy held onto the tree branch to avoid falling.)
- Con víu áo mẹ. (The child clings to the mother's clothes.)
Advanced Usage
- "víu víu": This reduplicated form can express a repeated or persistent clinging action, often used in a descriptive or onomatopoeic sense.
- Đứa bé cứ víu víu vào chân bố. (The child kept clinging persistently to his father's leg.)
Variants and Related Words
Bám víu (v): to cling, to hold on (often with a stronger connotation of dependence or desperation).
- Người leo núi bám víu vào sợi dây. (The climber clung to the rope.)
Vịn (v): to lean on, to support oneself by holding onto something. This is a close synonym but often implies using something for balance rather than a tight grip.
- Bà cụ vịn vào tường. (The old woman leaned on the wall.)
Synonyms
- Cling: to hold on tightly to something.
- Clutch: to grasp or seize something tightly.
- Hold on: to keep one's grip on something.
Related Idioms
- Víu vào cọng rơm: (Literally: to cling to a straw) This idiom means to grasp at straws, to try any desperate measure when in a hopeless situation.
- Trong hoàn cảnh tuyệt vọng, anh ta sẵn sàng víu vào cọng rơm. (In a desperate situation, he is ready to grasp at straws.)