Definition

1. Verb:
   • To ape, to blindly imitate, to follow without thought: "a dua" means to imitate or follow someone's actions, behaviors, or trends in a mindless, unthinking, or servile manner, often to gain favor or fit in.
   • To chime in, to join in (with negative connotation): It describes the act of joining others in an opinion or action, not out of genuine agreement, but out of conformity or flattery.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta luôn a dua theo những trào lưu vô bổ trên mạng xã hội. (He always blindly follows useless trends on social media.)
  • Đừng a dua với đám đông mà hãy có chính kiến của riêng mình. (Don't just chime in with the crowd; have your own opinion.)
  • Cô ấy a dua theo lối ăn mặc lố lăng của bạn bè. (She aped her friends' eccentric style of dress.)

Advanced Usage

• "a dua đòi": to thoughtlessly clamor for or demand something because others are doing so.
  • Bọn trẻ a dua đòi bố mẹ mua đồ chơi mới. (The children mindlessly clamored for their parents to buy new toys.)
• "thói a dua": the habit or characteristic of being a blind follower.
  • Thói a dua là một điểm yếu trong tính cách của anh ấy. (The habit of blind imitation is a weakness in his character.)

Variants and Related Words

• A dua bắt chước (verb phrase): to imitate and copy slavishly.
  • Hắn chỉ là kẻ a dua bắt chước, không có sáng kiến gì. (He is just a slavish imitator with no original ideas.)
• Đua đòi (verb): to vie with others in following trends (often related to material possessions or status). While similar, "đua đòi" often implies competition and keeping up with others, whereas "a dua" emphasizes mindless following.

Synonyms

• Bắt chước (v): to imitate, to copy. (This is a more neutral term, while "a dua" carries a negative judgment.)
• Hùa theo (v): to join in with, to go along with (the crowd). This is very close in meaning to "a dua".
• Nịnh theo (v): to flatter by agreeing or imitating.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A dua theo nịnh hót: to chime in with flatterers.
  • Hắn chẳng có quan điểm gì, chỉ biết a dua theo nịnh hót. (He has no viewpoint; he only knows how to chime in with flatterers.)
• Người hay a dua: a copy-cat; a person who habitually follows others mindlessly.
  • Trong nhóm, nó bị coi là người hay a dua. (In the group, he is considered a copy-cat.)

verb

1. To ape, to chime in, to join in, to take a leaf out of sb's book
   • a dua theo lối ăn mặc lố lăng
     to ape other's eccentric style of dress
   • người hay a dua bắt chước
     a copy-cat