Definition

1. Adjective/Adverb (Tính từ/Trạng từ):
   • Walking with a bow-legged or waddling gait: Describes the awkward, heavy, and difficult manner of walking, typically with legs apart, often due to pain or discomfort in the lower body, groin, or thighs.

Usage Examples

• Adjective/Adverb:
  • Sau trận đau bẹn, anh ấy đi lại khạng nạng cả tuần. (After the groin injury, he walked with a bow-legged gait for a whole week.)
  • Đứa trẻ mới tập đi bước từng bước khạng nạng. (The toddler took each step with a waddling gait.)
  • Ông cụ đau khớp háng nên đi khạng nạng. (The old man has a sore hip joint, so he walks with a difficult, heavy gait.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đi khạng nạng": This is the most common and complete collocation. The word "khạng nạng" is almost exclusively used with the verb "đi" (to walk) to form the phrase "đi khạng nạng," meaning "to walk with a bow-legged/waddling gait."
  • Người bị trật khớp háng thường phải đi khạng nạng. (People with a dislocated hip often have to walk with a waddling gait.)

Word Variants and Related Terms

• Khập khiễng (adj/adv): To limp, to walk lamely. (Note: "Khập khiễng" implies limping due to an injured leg, while "khạng nạng" emphasizes a wide-legged, awkward gait often due to pelvic/groin issues.)
• Lạch bạch (adj/adv): To waddle (like a duck). This describes a side-to-side gait but is more general and not necessarily due to pain.

Synonyms

• Đi chân vòng kiềng: To walk bow-legged.
• Đi dạng chân: To walk with legs apart.

Notes on Usage

• Frequency: The word "khạng nạng" is marked as "ít dùng" (less commonly used) in modern Vietnamese. The phrase "đi khạng nạng" is its primary usage.
• Meaning Nuance: It specifically describes a labored, heavy, and awkward walk caused by pain or structural issues in the lower abdomen, groin, or hip area, resulting in a gait with legs held apart. It is not a neutral term for a normal bow-legged walk.

1. (ít dùng) (Đi khạng nạng) Walk with bow-legged gait