Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stubbornly disobedient or recalcitrant: Used primarily to describe a young child who is willfully naughty, defiant, or difficult to manage, often by refusing to listen or comply.
   • Fussy and irritable: Describes a child who is being cranky, peevish, or hard to please.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa bé hôm nay thật là ương ương, không chịu nghe lời mẹ chút nào. (The child is being so stubbornly disobedient today, not listening to his mother at all.)
  • Con đừng có ương ương nữa, ăn cơm đi nào. (Don't be so fussy and difficult anymore, come and eat your rice.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in the context of child behavior and carries a tone of mild frustration or affectionate scolding from a parent or caregiver. It is rarely used to describe adults.

Variants and Related Words

• Ương (adj): A shorter, less common form with the same meaning of being stubborn or recalcitrant, often used in compound words or specific phrases.
  • Tính nết ương bướng. (A stubborn and obstinate temperament.)

Synonyms

• Disobedient: Refusing to obey rules or someone in authority.
• Recalcitrant: Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude.
• Fussy: Difficult to please; irritable, especially as a child.

Related Idioms

• Ương ương dại dột: A phrase emphasizing foolish or silly stubbornness, often in a childish way.
  • Cứ ương ương dại dột thế thì không ai thương đâu. (If you keep being foolishly stubborn like that, no one will love you.)