Definition

1. Verb (informal, often slightly negative):

   • To eavesdrop / to listen in (on a conversation): To listen, often in a conspicuous or nosy manner, to a conversation one is not a part of. It implies a sense of curiosity, idleness, or gossip-seeking.
   • To be a busybody / to pry: To show an intrusive interest in other people's affairs by trying to listen to their conversations.

2. Verb (specialized usage about infants):

   • To begin to respond to speech / to show auditory awareness: Used specifically to describe a baby who is starting to turn its head or show attention toward the source of human speech, indicating early language development.

Usage Examples

• Verb (informal):
  • Đi chơi đi, đừng hóng chuyện người lớn. (Go and play, don't eavesdrop on the adults' conversation.)
  • Cô ấy chỉ ngồi đó hóng chuyện của hàng xóm. (She just sits there listening in on the neighbors' business.)
• Verb (infant development):
  • Em bé bắt đầu biết hóng chuyện. (The baby has begun to respond to speech / to show awareness of talking.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a mild reprimand or disapproval when used for children or adults, suggesting the listener should mind their own business.
• It can describe the action of someone who habitually seeks out gossip or drama.

Variants and Related Words

• Hóng (v): A shorter, more colloquial form meaning "to listen eagerly for" or "to wait for (news, gossip, drama)."
  • Cả ngày chỉ biết hóng chuyện thiên hạ. (All day, you just listen out for other people's business.)
• Nghe lén (v): To listen secretly, to snoop. This is stronger and implies a deliberate attempt to listen without being seen.
• Tò mò (adj): Curious. This is the general adjective for curiosity, of which is a specific, active manifestation.

Synonyms

• Eavesdrop: To listen secretly to a private conversation.
• Listen in: To listen to a conversation one is not invited to join.
• Pry: To inquire impertinently into someone's private affairs.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Hóng hớt: A reduplicative form that intensifies the meaning of , emphasizing a gossipy, nosy, and idle attitude.
  • Cô ấy suốt ngày hóng hớt chuyện người khác. (She spends all day gossiping and prying into other people's affairs.)

1. Listen with a gaping mouth
   • Đi chơi đi, đừng hóng chuyện người lớn
     Go and play instead of listening with a gaping mouth to the grown-ups talking
2. Begin turning in the direction of the sound of talk, begin to take notice
3. (nói về trẻ nhỏ)
   • Em bé bắt đầu biết hóng chuyện
     The baby began turning in the direction of the sound of take; the baby began to take notice