dài lưng
Definitions
- Adjective:
- Lazy, idle, slothful: Describes a person who is habitually inactive, avoids work or effort, and prefers to lie down or rest excessively.
- Having a long back (literal): In a purely physical sense, can describe an animal or person with an unusually long back. However, this usage is less common in modern language.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Thằng bé đó dài lưng lắm, chẳng chịu giúp đỡ việc nhà. (That boy is very lazy; he never helps with the housework.)
- Ăn xong là nó lại dài lưng ra nằm ngủ. (As soon as he finishes eating, he stretches out lazily to sleep.)
- Con mèo này có vẻ dài lưng thật. (This cat seems to literally have a long back.)
Advanced Usage
"dài lưng tốn vải": A common idiom meaning "lazy and wasteful." It criticizes someone who is idle (implying they just lie around) and consumes resources (like fabric for their long clothes due to their tall/lazy stature) without contributing.
- Nó chỉ biết dài lưng tốn vải, chẳng làm được tích sự gì. (He's just lazy and wasteful, not accomplishing anything useful.)
"ăn no lại nằm": This phrase is often associated with "dài lưng" to emphasize the cycle of eating and then lying down, depicting a life of idleness.
- Cả ngày chỉ dài lưng ăn no lại nằm. (All day long, he just lazes around, eating his fill and then lying down.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lười biếng (adj): Lazy, indolent. This is the most common and direct synonym.
- Lười nhác (adj): Idle, slothful. Slightly more formal than "lười biếng."
- Ứ lì (adj): Inert, sluggish, describing a slow and unresponsive laziness.
Synonyms
- Lười: Lazy.
- Ít vận động: Inactive.
- Ham ngủ, ham nằm: Fond of sleeping, fond of lying down.
Related Idioms
- "Dài lưng tốn vải ăn no lại nằm": The full, proverbial phrase encapsulating the meaning of being a lazy, unproductive person who only eats and rests.
- "Có chân có tay mà lười": (Having hands and feet but being lazy) Used to criticize an able-bodied person who refuses to work.