Definition

1. Verb:
   • To play, to frolic, to romp: To engage in lively, playful, and often boisterous activity for fun and amusement. It implies a sense of lighthearted fun, often involving physical movement and laughter.
   • To joke around, to kid: To act or speak in a playful, non-serious manner, often to tease or make others laugh.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Các em nhỏ đang đùa giỡn trong công viên. (The children are playing/frolicking in the park.)
  • Anh ấy chỉ đùa giỡn thôi, đừng giận nhé. (He's just joking around/kidding, don't be angry.)
  • Chúng tôi thích đùa giỡn với chú chó con. (We like to play/romp with the puppy.)

Advanced Usage

• "đùa giỡn với lửa": To play with fire (idiomatic, meaning to engage in a dangerous or risky activity).

  • Lừa dối sếp như vậy là đùa giỡn với lửa đấy. (Deceiving the boss like that is playing with fire.)

• "đùa giỡn trên sân khấu": To clown around on stage (implying playful, unserious behavior in a performance context).

Variants and Related Words

• Đùa (verb): To joke, to kid. This is a more general and common term for joking.

  • Tôi chỉ đùa thôi mà! (I was just kidding!)

• Giỡn (verb, Southern Vietnamese dialect): To play, to joke. Often used interchangeably with "đùa" in the South.

  • Đừng giỡn mặt với tôi. (Don't mess/joke around with me.)

• Nô đùa (verb): To frolic, to romp. Emphasizes lively, energetic play.

• Vui đùa (verb): To play joyfully, to have fun playing.

Synonyms

• Chơi đùa: To play (general term for playing).
• Nghịch ngợm: To be mischievous, to play pranks (implies more naughtiness).
• Tếu táo: To be humorous, to crack jokes (focuses on verbal humor).

Related Phrases

• Đùa giỡn quá trớn: To joke around excessively, to go too far with joking.

  • Việc đùa giỡn quá trớn có thể khiến người khác buồn. (Joking around excessively can make others upset.)

• Tính hay đùa giỡn: A playful/jocular nature.

  • Cậu ấy có tính hay đùa giỡn. (He has a playful nature.)

Related Idioms

• Đùa với sư tử đói: To joke with a hungry lion (similar to "play with fire," meaning to take a great risk).
• Đùa cho vui, đừng đùa quá lời: Joke for fun, but don't joke beyond words (a saying advising that jokes should not go too far or become hurtful).

1. Play