Definition

1. Verb:
   • To chat, to converse casually: "chuyện vãn" refers to the act of engaging in a relaxed, informal conversation, often to pass the time. It implies a leisurely exchange of talk without a specific, urgent purpose.

Usage

• General Usage: This verb is used to describe informal, often leisurely, conversation. It emphasizes the act of talking itself as a way to spend time, rather than discussing serious or pressing matters.
• Grammar Note: "Chuyện vãn" is an intransitive verb. It is often followed by phrases indicating duration (e.g., - a while, - the whole afternoon) or a companion (e.g., - with a friend).

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai ông già thường ngồi chuyện vãn ở quán nước đầu ngõ. (The two old men often sit and chat at the tea stall at the end of the alley.)
  • Chúng tôi chỉ chuyện vãn vài câu rồi chia tay. (We just exchanged a few words of casual conversation and then parted ways.)
  • Mong có thì giờ chuyện vãn với anh. (I hope to have time for a leisurely chat with you.)

Advanced Usage

• "chuyện vãn cho qua thì": to chat just to pass the time, to make small talk to kill time.
  • Họ ngồi chuyện vãn cho qua thì chờ đến giờ họp. (They sat chatting to pass the time while waiting for the meeting to start.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chuyện trò (verb): to chat, to converse. This is a very close synonym, though "chuyện vãn" can sometimes carry a slightly more prolonged or idle connotation.
• Tán gẫu (verb, informal): to chat, to gossip in a very casual, friendly manner.
• Đàm đạo (verb, more formal/literary): to discuss, to converse (often on more substantive topics).

Synonyms

• Trò chuyện: to converse, to talk.
• Nói chuyện: to talk, to have a conversation.

Related Phrases

• Chuyện vãn lai rai: to chat intermittently or over a long, drawn-out period, often while doing something else like drinking.
  • Cả buổi chiều, họ ngồi uống trà và chuyện vãn lai rai. (They spent the whole afternoon drinking tea and chatting intermittently.)

Related Idioms

• Chuyện vãn đầu môi: Literally "conversation at the tip of the lips," meaning superficial or trivial talk.
  • Đó chỉ là chuyện vãn đầu môi, đừng để ý làm gì. (That's just trivial talk, don't pay any attention to it.)

1. To chat one's time away
   • chuyện vãn một lúc rồi đi ngủ
     they chatted away a few moments of their time, then went to bed