Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Prolix; wordy; verbose: Describes speech or writing that uses too many words, making it unnecessarily long and tedious.
   • Diffuse; rambling: Refers to a style of communication that is not concise, often wandering off-topic and lacking focus.
   • Lengthy; long-winded: Indicates something that is extended in duration or text in an inefficient, often boring, manner.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bài phát biểu của ông ấy quá dài dòng và khiến mọi người mất tập trung. (His speech was too long-winded and made everyone lose focus.)
  • Đừng viết dài dòng như vậy, hãy đi thẳng vào vấn đề chính. (Don't write in such a verbose manner; get straight to the main point.)
  • Lời giải thích dài dòng của cô ấy chẳng giúp ích gì cả. (Her rambling explanation was not helpful at all.)

Advanced Usage

• "nói dài dòng": to speak at length, to be long-winded in speech.
  • Anh ta có thói quen nói dài dòng về những chuyện nhỏ nhặt. (He has a habit of speaking at great length about trivial matters.)
• "văn dài dòng": prolix/wordy writing style.
  • Một bài luận văn dài dòng thường bị trừ điểm. (An essay with prolix writing often gets points deducted.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dài (adj): Long (in physical length or duration). This is the root word.
  • con đường dài (a long road)
• Dòng chữ (n): A line of text. The word "dòng" contributes to the sense of extended text or speech.
• Dài dòng văn tự (idiomatic phrase): An even more emphatic form meaning extremely verbose, especially in written form.
  • Hợp đồng này dài dòng văn tự quá, khó hiểu. (This contract is extremely verbose, it's hard to understand.)

Synonyms

• Rườm rà: Redundant, over-ornamented, often with unnecessary details.
• Lắm lời: Using many words, talkative (can be neutral or slightly negative).
• Lan man: Rambling, digressive, going off-topic.

Antonyms

• Ngắn gọn: Concise, succinct, brief.
• Súc tích: Compact, pithy, full of meaning in few words.
• Cô đọng: Condensed, concentrated (often for ideas or writing).

Related Idioms

• Dài như địa lý: (As long as geography) An idiom meaning extremely long and tedious, like a long list or description.
  • Bài giảng của thầy dài như địa lý. (The teacher's lecture was extremely long and tedious.)
• Nói dài nói dại: (To speak long is to speak foolishly) A proverb warning that speaking too much can lead to saying foolish or regrettable things.
  • Nhớ câu "nói dài nói dại", anh nên kết thúc đi. (Remember the saying "long speech leads to foolish speech," you should wrap it up.)

adj

1. prolix; diffuse; lengthy