Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bicker; to argue: To engage in a petty, often back-and-forth, verbal dispute or quarrel. It implies a contentious exchange of words, typically over a trivial matter.
   • To wrangle; to contend: To dispute or argue in a persistent, contentious manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai đứa trẻ cứ đôi co về việc ai được chơi trước. (The two children kept bickering over who got to play first.)
  • Đừng đôi co với nhau về chuyện nhỏ nhặt như vậy. (Don't wrangle with each other over such a trivial matter.)
  • Họ đôi co suốt buổi họp mà không đi đến kết luận nào. (They contended with each other throughout the meeting without reaching any conclusion.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "đôi co" often carries a nuance of a futile or cyclical argument where neither side is willing to yield, focusing more on the act of disputing than on resolving the issue.

Variants and Related Words

• Cãi cọ (v): to quarrel, to squabble. This is a very close synonym.
• Tranh cãi (v): to debate, to argue (can be more formal or substantive than ).

Synonyms

• Bicker: To argue about petty things.
• Squabble: To engage in a noisy quarrel about a trivial matter.
• Wrangle: To argue persistently and angrily.
• Spat: To engage in a brief, petty quarrel.

Related Idioms

• "Đôi co như mổ bò": To argue fiercely and noisily (literally, "to argue like butchering a cow"). This idiom emphasizes the intensity and unpleasantness of the dispute.
  • Cả hai bên đôi co như mổ bò trước mặt mọi người. (Both sides argued fiercely in front of everyone.)

verb

1. To spat; to contend