Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sulk, to pout: To show silent anger or displeasure, often by withdrawing from interaction or displaying a sullen attitude, typically in a childish or petty manner. This state involves both feeling upset (hờn) and acting out that upset in a petulant way (dỗi).

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Em bé hờn dỗi vì mẹ không mua đồ chơi. (The child is sulking because his mother didn't buy him a toy.)
  • Cô ấy hờn dỗi, không chịu nói chuyện với ai cả buổi. (She is sulking and refuses to talk to anyone all afternoon.)
  • Đừng hờn dỗi nữa, mọi chuyện đã qua rồi. (Don't sulk anymore; everything is over.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm mặt hờn dỗi": to make a sulking/pouting face.

  • Thấy không được chiều, nó làm mặt hờn dỗi. (Seeing that he didn't get his way, he made a sulking face.)

• "Giận hờn dỗi": a combined state of being angry and sulky. This emphasizes the emotional blend.

  • Cô ấy giận hờn dỗi khi bị hiểu lầm. (She was angry and sulky when misunderstood.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hờn (verb/noun): to resent, to bear a grudge; resentment. This is the core feeling of upset or bitterness.

  • Nó còn hờn tôi vì chuyện hôm qua. (He still resents me because of yesterday's incident.)

• Dỗi (verb): to be in a petty sulk, to act sullenly. This focuses more on the behavioral expression.

  • Nó dỗi, nằm lì trong phòng. (He is sulking, lying stubbornly in his room.)

• Giận dỗi (verb): a near-synonymous compound meaning to be angrily sulky. It is often used interchangeably with "hờn dỗi."

  • Con bé hay giận dỗi vì những chuyện nhỏ. (That little girl often gets into a sulk over small things.)

Synonyms

• Bĩu môi: to pout (literally, to purse one's lips). This describes the physical action.
• Lầm lì: sullen, morose. This describes a silent, gloomy, and unsociable mood.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: As a verb, "hờn dỗi" itself is not typically broken into phrasal verb constructions in Vietnamese. Its usage is generally as a single unit.)

Related Idioms

• "Hờn dỗi thẹn thùng": to be sulky and shy/embarrassed. This describes a mixed state of petulance and bashfulness.

  • Cô dâu trẻ hờn dỗi thẹn thùng trước mặt mọi người. (The young bride was sulky and shy in front of everyone.)

• "Hờn dỗi, trách móc": to sulk and reproach/blame. This pairs the action of sulking with verbal complaints.

  • Cô ấy chỉ biết hờn dỗi, trách móc mà không nói rõ nguyên nhân. (She only knows how to sulk and blame without stating the reason clearly.)

1. to sulk