chộp choạp
Definitions
Adjective:
- Grasping, snatching, grabbing: Describes a hurried, hasty, and often clumsy or greedy action of seizing something, typically with the hands.
- Hasty and careless: Can describe actions performed in a rushed, sloppy, or unrefined manner.
Adverb:
- In a grabbing or snatching manner: Describes the way an action is performed, emphasizing a sudden, eager, and often ungraceful movement.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Hắn có thói quen chộp choạp khi ăn uống. (He has a habit of eating in a greedy, grabbing manner.)
- Công việc được làm một cách chộp choạp, đầy sai sót. (The work was done in a hasty and careless way, full of mistakes.)
Adverb:
- Đứa trẻ chộp choạp lấy đồ chơi. (The child grabbed the toy hastily.)
- Anh ta ăn chộp choạp vì sợ trễ giờ. (He ate hurriedly because he was afraid of being late.)
Advanced Usage
- "chộp choạp" as a Reduplicative: This is a reduplicative form of the verb "chộp" (to snatch). Reduplication in Vietnamese often intensifies the meaning or suggests a repetitive, continuous, or disorderly action. Here, it emphasizes the disorderly, greedy, or hasty nature of the grabbing.
Variants and Related Words
- Chộp (verb): To snatch, to grab. The root verb.
- Chộp lấy cơ hội. (To seize the opportunity.)
- Chụp (verb): To grab, to snap (also: to photograph). A near-synonym with a similar sound.
- Chụp lấy tay nắm cửa. (To grab the door handle.)
Synonyms
- Vội vàng: Hurried, hasty (focuses on speed, not necessarily physical grabbing).
- Tham lam: Greedy (focuses on the desire, not the action).
- Cẩu thả: Sloppy, careless (focuses on lack of care).
Related Idioms
- Ăn chộp choạp: To eat greedily and messily.
- Đừng ăn chộp choạp như vậy, hãy từ tốn. (Don't eat so greedily, be gentle.)
- Làm chộp choạp: To do something hastily and carelessly.
- Bài tập về nhà làm chộp choạp sẽ không được điểm cao. (Homework done hastily and carelessly won't get a high score.)