Definition

Noun: 1. Idle talk, chitchat, small talk: Casual, informal conversation about unimportant or everyday topics, often for the purpose of socializing or passing time rather than exchanging serious information. 2. Gossip (in some contexts): Light, often trivial talk about other people's personal lives, which may or may not be factual.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chúng tôi chỉ ngồi uống cà phê và nói chuyện phiếm. (We just sat drinking coffee and making small talk.)
  • Buổi gặp mặt bắt đầu bằng những câu chuyện phiếm về thời tiết. (The meeting started with some idle chat about the weather.)
  • Cô ấy không thích những cuộc nói chuyện toàn là chuyện phiếm. (She doesn't like conversations that are all gossip.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chuyện phiếm vô thưởng vô phạt": Harmless, inconsequential chitchat that has no real impact or consequence.
  • Đó chỉ là chuyện phiếm vô thưởng vô phạt, đừng bận tâm. (That's just harmless gossip, don't worry about it.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phiếm (adj): Casual, idle, trivial. Often used in compounds like "nói phiếm" (to chat idly), "chuyện phiếm" (idle talk).
• Tán gẫu (v/n): To chat, to have a casual conversation. Very close in meaning to "nói chuyện phiếm".
• Buôn chuyện (v): To gossip (often with a slightly more negative connotation than "chuyện phiếm").

Synonyms

• Small talk: Light, polite conversation about unimportant matters.
• Chitchat: Informal, light conversation.
• Gossip: Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Chuyện đầu cầu chuyện cuối ngõ: Literally "talk from the beginning of the bridge to the end of the alley." An idiom describing long, rambling, trivial conversation about all sorts of minor topics.
  • Họ ngồi cả buổi chiều với chuyện đầu cầu chuyện cuối ngõ. (They sat all afternoon chatting about this and that.)

noun

1. Idle talk