Definition

Verb: - To be inert; to be sluggish; to be unresponsive: Describes a state of inactivity, lack of movement, or refusal to act or respond, often stubbornly. It implies a heavy, unmoving, or passive resistance to stimulation or instruction.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Khi được gọi dậy, nó cứ ì ra trên giường. (When called to get up, he just lay there inertly in bed.)
  • Đề nghị mọi người cùng làm nhưng anh ta vẫn ì ra một chỗ, không chịu nhúc nhích. (I suggested everyone work together, but he remained sluggish in one spot, refusing to budge.)
  • Chiếc xe bị ì máy giữa đường. (The car's engine became sluggish / stalled in the middle of the road.)

Advanced Usage

• "ì ra": A common collocation emphasizing the state of being inert or stubbornly inactive.

  • Nó bảo nó mệt và ì ra cả buổi. (He said he was tired and was completely inert / loafed around the whole time.)

• "cứng đầu cứng cổ mà ì": An idiom-like phrase describing someone who is stubbornly uncooperative and inactive.

  • Đứa bé cứng đầu cứng cổ mà ì, không chịu nghe lời. (The child is stubbornly obstinate and unresponsive, refusing to listen.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ỳ (verb, variant spelling): An alternate, less common spelling with the same meaning.
• Ì ạch (adj/adv): Describes something moving or progressing very slowly, laboriously, and with difficulty (e.g., a heavy, struggling movement). While related, it emphasizes slowness of motion rather than complete inertia.
  • Chiếc xe tải chở nặng chạy ì ạch lên dốc. (The heavily loaded truck moved laboriously slowly up the hill.)

Synonyms

• Trơ ra (verb): To become impassive, unmoving, or unresponsive.
• Chây ì (verb): To dawdle, to be deliberately slow or inactive (often to avoid work).
• Lì ra (verb): To be stubbornly still or disobedient.

Notes on Different Meanings

The word "ì" is primarily used as a verb in the context described. It is informal and often carries a negative connotation of laziness, stubbornness, or malfunction (as with an engine). It is not typically used in formal writing.

verb

1. to be inert; to sluggish