bày việc
Một người đàn ông đang bày việc bằng cách yêu cầu sắp xếp lại những chiếc ghế một cách không cần thiết.
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To create unnecessary work or complications: The primary meaning of "bày việc" is to invent or fabricate tasks, often trivial or troublesome ones, causing inconvenience for others.
- To stir up trouble / to make a fuss: It describes the act of deliberately creating a problematic situation or conflict where none existed, similar to making a mountain out of a molehill.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Đừng có bày việc ra cho mọi người phải làm. (Don't create unnecessary work for everyone to do.)
- Nó lại bày việc để anh chị cãi nhau. (He/She stirred up trouble to make the siblings argue again.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a strong negative connotation, implying malice, pettiness, or a lack of consideration. It criticizes someone for being a troublemaker or for complicating simple matters.
Variants and Related Words
- Bày chuyện (verb phrase): to fabricate a story, to make up trouble. This is a direct synonym and is often used interchangeably with "bày việc."
- Nó thích bày chuyện. (He/She likes to make up trouble.)
Synonyms
- To make work: to create unnecessary tasks.
- To stir up trouble: to cause problems or discord.
- To complicate matters: to make a situation more complex than necessary.
Related Idioms
- While "bày việc" itself is a set phrase, it is conceptually related to idioms about causing trouble.
- Vẽ rắn thêm chân: (to draw legs on a snake) – to unnecessarily complicate something simple.
- Anh đừng có vẽ rắn thêm chân, đơn giản thế là được rồi. (Don't complicate things; simple like this is fine.)