Definition

1. Pronoun:
   • Nobody, no one, not a single person: A negative indefinite pronoun used to indicate the complete absence of people in a given context or situation. It emphasizes that not one person among a potential group is involved or possesses a certain quality.

Usage Examples

• Pronoun:
  • Chẳng ai chịu được một thái độ như vậy. (Nobody can stand such an attitude.)
  • Chẳng ai biết câu trả lời. (No one knows the answer.)
  • Cửa đóng then cài, chẳng ai ở nhà. (The door is locked, nobody is home.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chẳng ai... cả": A reinforcing structure meaning "absolutely nobody at all."
  • Chẳng ai hiểu anh ta nói gì cả. (Absolutely nobody understands what he's saying.)
• Used to express a universal negative statement about human capability, knowledge, or presence.
  • Chẳng ai là hoàn hảo. (Nobody is perfect.)

Variants and Related Words

• Không ai: A more common and neutral synonym for "nobody." While "chẳng ai" and "không ai" are often interchangeable, "chẳng ai" can sound slightly more emphatic or literary.
  • Không ai đến dự buổi họp. (Nobody came to the meeting.)
• Chẳng một ai: An even more emphatic form, literally "not a single one."
  • Chẳng một ai giúp đỡ tôi. (Not a single person helped me.)

Synonyms

• Không người nào: No person.
• Chả ai: A colloquial, northern Vietnamese variant with the same meaning as "chẳng ai."

Related Phrases

• Chẳng ai hay: Nobody knows/is aware.
  • Chẳng ai hay chuyện đó đã xảy ra. (Nobody knew that had happened.)
• Chẳng ai ngờ: Nobody expected.
  • Chẳng ai ngờ cô ấy sẽ thắng. (Nobody expected her to win.)

Related Idioms

• Chẳng ai cho không ai cái gì: An idiom meaning "nothing is given for free" or "there's no such thing as a free lunch."
  • Trong kinh doanh, chẳng ai cho không ai cái gì. (In business, nobody gives anybody anything for free.)

1. Nobody, none
   • Chẳng ai chịu được một thái độ như vậy
     Nobody can stand such an attitude