càu cạu

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càu cạu

Cậu bé ngồi càu cạu trong góc phòng.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Glowering, surly-looking: Describes a facial expression or demeanor that is sullen, gloomy, or ill-tempered, often showing irritation or a bad mood without speaking.
    • Grumpy, cross: Indicates a state of being easily annoyed or in a bad temper, reflected in one's appearance.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • Anh ấy có khuôn mặt càu cạu mỗi sáng trước khi uống cà phê. (He has a glowering face every morning before drinking coffee.)
    • Đừng nhìn càu cạu như vậy, có chuyện gì sao? (Don't look so surly like that, is something wrong?)
    • Tính nết càu cạu của ông ấy khiến mọi người khó tiếp cận. (His grumpy disposition makes him hard to approach.)
Advanced Usage
  • "mặt mày càu cạu": A common collocation emphasizing a very sullen or scowling facial expression.
    • Sao mặt mày càu cạu thế? Hôm nay đi làm không vui à? (Why do you look so glowering? Did you have a bad day at work?)
Variants and Related Words
  • Càu nhàu (verb): To grumble, to complain in a low, irritable voice. While "càu cạu" describes a look or mood, "càu nhàu" describes the action of muttering complaints.
    • Ông cụ càu nhàu về thời tiết. (The old man grumbled about the weather.)
Synonyms
  • Cáu kỉnh: Irritable, quick-tempered (focuses more on the irritable character than the facial expression).
  • Gắt gỏng: Snappy, short-tempered (focuses on sharp, irritable speech or reaction).
  • Nhăn nhó: To grimace, to make a displeased face (focuses on the contorted facial action).
Notes on Usage
  • "Càu cạu" is primarily used to describe a non-verbal state—a person's facial expression, look, or general mood that is visibly sour or displeased. It is less about verbal anger and more about the appearance of being in a bad mood.
  • It is an adjective and is often used directly before nouns like "mặt" (face) or "tính" (disposition), or after verbs like "nhìn" (to look) or "trông" (to appear).
  • The word is informal and descriptive, commonly used in spoken Vietnamese.
càu cạu

Cậu bé ngồi càu cạu trong góc phòng.

adj
  1. Glowering, surly-looking
    • mặt càu cạu
      a glowering face
    • nhìn càu cạu
      to look surly