sự lo lắng
In Vietnamese, anxiety is sự lo lắng.
sự lo lắng refers to a state of uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession.
Meaning: state of uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession (noun)
Which one should you use?
While sự lo lắng describes a general state of being, you can use nỗi lo lắng to refer to a specific feeling or instance of worry or anxiety. For more formal contexts, you may use Lo Âu or Bất An, the latter of which implies a sense of insecurity, restlessness or unease.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you remove the word sự from the phrase, the term lo lắng changes from the noun 'anxiety' into the verb or adjective meaning 'to worry' or 'anxious'.
Did you know?
- The word lắng in lo lắng shares a phonetic root with lặng, which means 'quiet' or 'still'. This suggests that deep anxiety is the internal disturbance of one's inner stillness.
- In Vietnamese culture, describing anxiety using Bất An can sometimes imply a spiritual or cosmic misalignment rather than just a psychological condition.
- The prefix sự in sự lo lắng is a fossilized relic from Chinese morphology. While it functions as a nominalizer in Vietnamese, its origins lie in the Chinese word for 'matter' or 'thing'.
Examples in context
- Tôi cảm thấy rối loạn và không yên tâm.I feel disoriented and restless.
- Dạo này tôi cảm thấy lo âu về công việc.Lately, I've been feeling anxious about work.
- Sự lo lắng làm tôi mất ngủ.Anxiety makes me lose sleep.
- Cô ấy đang vượt qua sự lo lắng.She is overcoming her anxiety.
- Đừng để sự lo lắng kiểm soát bạn.Don't let anxiety control you.
Example conversation
Lan and Nam are talking about an upcoming exam.
- LanNam, cậu có thấy lo không?Nam, are you feeling nervous?
- NamCó, sự lo lắng khiến tớ không ngủ được.Yes, the anxiety is keeping me awake.
- LanĐừng quá căng thẳng, mọi chuyện sẽ ổn thôi.Don't be too stressed, everything will be fine.
- NamCảm ơn Lan, tớ sẽ cố gắng bình tĩnh.Thanks Lan, I will try to stay calm.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, lắng, sự, CC BY-SA 4.0.
