Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Joy and anger: "Hỉ nọ" describes a state of being easily and rapidly alternating between happiness and anger, or being emotionally volatile and unpredictable.

Usage

• "Hỉ nọ" is used to describe a person's temperament or mood that is unstable, capricious, and prone to sudden shifts between positive (joy, delight) and negative (anger, irritation) emotions.
• It often carries a slightly negative connotation, implying fickleness or a lack of emotional control.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tính cô ấy rất hỉ nọ, lúc thì cười nói vui vẻ, lúc đã giận dỗi. (Her temperament is very volatile; one moment she's talking and laughing happily, the next she's sulking angrily.)
  • Đừng để ý đến anh ta, anh ta hỉ nọ lắm. (Don't pay him any mind; he's very temperamental.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a descriptive or critical context to comment on someone's character.
• It can be used in both spoken and written Vietnamese.

Variants and Related Words

• Thất thường (adj): Unpredictable, erratic. (A more common synonym with a broader meaning, not limited to joy and anger.)
• Đỏng đảnh (adj): Capricious, coquettish. (Often used to describe a somewhat spoiled or whimsical manner, typically of a young woman.)
• Bất thường (adj): Abnormal, irregular. (Focuses more on deviation from the norm than on emotional shifts.)

Synonyms

• Hay thay đổi (adj): Changeable.
• Khó chiều (adj): Hard to please.
• Đỏng đảnh (adj): Capricious.

Related Idioms

• Sáng nắng chiều mưa: Literally "sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon." This idiom is very close in meaning to "hỉ nọ," describing someone whose mood changes as frequently and unpredictably as the weather.
  • Tính nết cô ấy sáng nắng chiều mưa khiến mọi người khó xử. (Her unpredictable temperament makes everyone feel awkward.)

adjective

1. joy and anger