Definition

1. Verb:
   • To tease: To playfully provoke, annoy, or make fun of someone, often in a light-hearted or familiar manner, sometimes causing mild embarrassment or irritation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đừng chọc ghẹo em gái của bạn. (Don't tease your little sister.)
  • Anh ấy thích chọc ghẹo mọi người bằng những câu đùa. (He likes to tease people with jokes.)
  • Bị chọc ghẹo khiến cô ấy đỏ mặt. (Being teased made her blush.)

Advanced Usage

• The action often implies a sense of playful familiarity and is not typically intended to be cruel or cause serious harm. However, context determines whether it is received as fun or as annoying.

Variants and Related Words

• Trêu ghẹo (v): A very close synonym, also meaning to tease or flirt playfully.

  • Cậu bé hay trêu ghẹo bạn cùng lớp. (The boy often teases his classmates.)

• Chọc (v): To poke or provoke. Can be part of "chọc ghẹo" but alone can mean to prod physically or incite.

• Ghẹo (v): To tease or flirt. Less commonly used alone than the compound form.

Synonyms

• Tease: To make fun of or provoke playfully.
• Kid: To tease in a gentle, joking way.
• Rib: To tease good-naturedly.

Related Idioms

• Chọc ghẹo cho vui: To tease just for fun.
  • Họ chỉ chọc ghẹo cho vui, đừng bực mình. (They're just teasing for fun, don't be upset.)

verb

1. To tease
   • chọc ghẹo phụ nữ một cách cợt nhã
     to tease women with familiarity