Definition

Adjective: - Restive, unmanageable, recalcitrant: Describes a person, animal, or thing that is difficult to control, stubbornly disobedient, or resistant to guidance. It often implies a wild, unruly, or intractable nature.

Usage

The word bất kham is primarily used as an adjective to describe a state of being hard to control or discipline. It is a formal and somewhat literary term. - It is commonly used to describe animals, especially horses, that are difficult to tame or ride. - It can be applied metaphorically to describe people, particularly children or subordinates, who are unruly or rebellious. - It can also describe abstract things like situations or elements of nature that are wild and untamable.

Usage Examples

• Describing an animal:

  • Con ngựa này rất bất kham, không ai cưỡi được. (This horse is very restive; no one can ride it.)
  • Nó đang cố thuần phục một chú ngựa bất kham. (He is trying to tame a restive horse.)

• Describing a person (often a child):

  • Đứa trẻ bất kham ấy luôn làm cha mẹ đau đầu. (That unruly child always gives his parents a headache.)
  • Tính tình bất kham của anh ấy khiến anh khó hòa nhập. (His recalcitrant temperament makes it hard for him to fit in.)

• Describing nature or abstract concepts:

  • Dòng sông bất kham thường xuyên gây lũ lụt. (The unmanageable river frequently causes floods.)
  • Những ý nghĩ bất kham cứ xuất hiện trong đầu cô ấy. (Restive thoughts keep appearing in her mind.)

Advanced Usage

• Literary/Figurative Use: In literature, bất kham can be used to describe forces, emotions, or ideas that are wild and difficult to restrain.
  • Nỗi nhớ bất kham cứ cuộn trào trong lòng. (An unmanageable longing kept surging in his heart.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cứng đầu / Ngang bướng (adj): Stubborn, obstinate. (These are more common, less formal synonyms often used for people.)
• Khó bảo (adj): Difficult to advise or teach; disobedient.
• Hoang dã (adj): Wild, untamed. (Focuses more on the natural, uncivilized state rather than disobedience.)

Synonyms

• Ngang ngạnh: Recalcitrant, defiant.
• Khó trị: Hard to treat/cure; unmanageable.
• Khó dạy: Hard to teach.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (Có) máu bất kham: To have a wild/rebellious streak.

  • Hắn ta có máu bất kham từ nhỏ. (He has had a rebellious streak since childhood.)

• Bản tính bất kham: An inherently unruly nature.

  • Bản tính bất kham khiến nó luôn gặp rắc rối. (His inherently unruly nature always gets him into trouble.)

adj

1. Restive
   • con ngựa bất kham
     a restive horse