gàn quải
Definition
Verb: - To obstruct, to hinder, to block: To create an obstacle, preventing someone from doing something or something from happening smoothly. This word carries a connotation of persistent, unreasonable, or vexing interference.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đừng gàn quải việc của người khác. (Don't obstruct other people's work.)
- Những quy định cũ đang gàn quải sự phát triển của công ty. (The old regulations are hindering the company's development.)
- Sao anh cứ gàn quải tôi mãi thế? (Why do you keep blocking me like this?)
Advanced Usage
- This word is considered somewhat archaic or literary in modern Vietnamese and is not commonly used in everyday casual speech. It is more likely to be encountered in formal writing, literature, or set phrases.
- It often implies a sense of annoyance or frustration towards the obstruction.
Variants and Related Words
- Gàn (verb): A shorter, more common form with the same core meaning of "to obstruct" or "to be stubbornly contrary." (He's just being obstinate, refusing to listen.)
- Ngăn trở (verb): The standard, neutral term for "to obstruct" or "to hinder."
- Cản trở (verb): A very common synonym for "to hinder" or "to impede."
Synonyms
- Ngăn cản: To prevent, to obstruct.
- Làm trở ngại: To cause an obstacle.
- Quấy rầy: To bother, to pester (focuses more on disturbance than physical obstruction).
Related Idioms
- Ông tơ gàn quải: A classical literary idiom from "The Tale of Kiều," referring to the obstructive actions of the "Old Man of the Threads" (a matchmaking deity in folklore), meaning fate or circumstances creating obstacles in a relationship.
- Ông tơ gàn quải chi nhau. (Why does fate put obstacles between us?)