Definition

1. Verb:
   • To mince / to walk with an affected sway: This describes the act of walking or moving the body with exaggerated, deliberate, and often unnatural swinging or twisting motions of the hips and torso, typically in an attempt to appear graceful or alluring.
   • To be affected / to have affected mannerisms: It refers to displaying overly refined, pretentious, or insincere gestures and postures, lacking in naturalness and propriety.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy bước vào phòng với dáng đi ưỡn ẹo. (She entered the room with a mincing walk.)
  • Anh ta ngồi ưỡn ẹo trên ghế, tỏ vẻ ta đây. (He sat with an affected posture on the chair, acting superior.)
  • Đừng có ưỡn ẹo như thế, trông thiếu tự nhiên lắm. (Don't mince like that; it looks very unnatural.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used in a critical or disapproving tone to highlight a lack of genuineness or modesty in someone's movements or demeanor.
• "ưỡn à ưỡn ẹo": This is a reduplicated form (a common linguistic feature in Vietnamese) that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing an even more exaggerated and affected manner.
  • Cô ta đi lại ưỡn à ưỡn ẹo trước mặt mọi người. (She walked back and forth with a highly exaggerated, affected sway in front of everyone.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lả lướt (adj/verb): Describes a smooth, graceful, and flowing movement or appearance, often with a positive connotation, unlike the artificiality of "ưỡn ẹo".
• Lên gân (verb): To flex muscles or show off strength in an affected way; similar in concept of showing off but related to strength rather than grace.

Synonyms

• To mince: To walk with short, precise, and affected steps.
• To sway affectedly: To move the body in a deliberate, exaggerated, and non-natural swinging motion.
• To have airs and graces: To behave in a way intended to impress, often seen as pretentious.

Related Idioms

• Làm duyên làm dáng: To put on airs, to act in a coquettish or affected manner to attract attention. This idiom is closely related to the concept of "ưỡn ẹo" but focuses more on the intention of appearing charming.
  • Cô ấy lúc nào cũng làm duyên làm dáng trước đám đông. (She's always putting on airs in front of a crowd.)

verb

1. to mince, to twist