vẫy vùng
Definition
- Verb:
- To flounder; to struggle vigorously: This describes the act of making strong, thrashing movements, typically while in water or a confined space, in an effort to move, escape, or resist.
- To act freely and unrestrainedly; to live a roving, adventurous life: This figurative meaning describes behaving with great freedom, without constraints, often in a bold or unruly manner.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con cá lớn vẫy vùng dưới nước. (The large fish floundered in the water.)
- Kẻ bị bắt vẫy vùng tìm cách thoát ra. (The captured person struggled vigorously trying to escape.)
- Hắn thích cuộc sống vẫy vùng nơi giang hồ. (He preferred the free-roaming life of a wanderer.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a connotation of powerful, somewhat chaotic, and determined movement or action. It is frequently used in literary contexts.
- It can imply a struggle against confinement or a desire for boundless freedom.
Variants and Related Words
- Vùng vẫy (v): This is a close synonym with the same core meanings of struggling/thrashing or acting freely.
- Nó vùng vẫy để thoát khỏi dây trói. (It thrashed about to escape the ropes.)
Synonyms
- Flounder: to struggle clumsily or helplessly.
- Thrash: to move in a violent and uncontrolled way.
- Struggle: to make forceful efforts to get free.
- Roam freely: to move or act without restriction.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Vẫy vùng trong vòng vây: to struggle within a siege/encirclement.
- Quân địch vẫy vùng trong vòng vây của ta. (The enemy forces floundered within our encirclement.)
- Cá lớn vẫy vùng: (literally: a big fish flounders) Often used metaphorically for a powerful person or entity making a significant impact or causing disturbance within a system.
- Công ty đó như cá lớn vẫy vùng trên thị trường. (That company is like a big fish making waves in the market.)