khuôn khéo

khuôn khéo

Cô ấy ứng xử rất khuôn khéo trong cuộc họp căng thẳng.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A technical tool: A specific type of tool, such as a die, drawplate, or filière, used in metalworking or manufacturing to shape, size, or form materials like wire or threads by drawing them through a hole.
    • A rigid framework or mold: A fixed structure or pattern that gives a specific shape to something, often implying constraint or standardization.

  2. Adjective:

    • Tactful, diplomatic, skillful in handling situations: Behaving in a clever, careful, and polite way to avoid offending people or to achieve a desired outcome. This meaning is derived from the figurative sense of fitting oneself appropriately into a social "mold."
Usage Examples
  • Noun (Tool):
    • Người thợ kim hoàn dùng khuôn khéo để kéo vàng thành sợi. (The jeweler uses a drawplate to pull gold into wire.)
  • Noun (Framework):
    • Công việc sáng tạo thường vượt ra ngoài mọi khuôn khéo có sẵn. (Creative work often breaks out of all existing frameworks.)
  • Adjective:
    • Cô ấy ứng xử rất khuôn khéo trong cuộc họp căng thẳng. (She acted very tactfully during the tense meeting.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term is often used in a figurative sense to describe speech or behavior that is carefully measured and polished to suit social conventions and achieve harmony or a specific goal.
    • Lời nói khuôn khéo của ông ấy đã xoa dịu mọi bên. (His diplomatic words appeased all parties.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Khuôn (n): mold, frame, form. This is the root word.
  • Khéo (adj): skillful, deft, clever. This is the root word.
  • Khéo léo (adj): skillful, dexterous, adept (more common than "khuôn khéo" as an adjective).
Synonyms
  • As a tool: die, drawplate, filière.
  • As a framework: mold, framework, structure, pattern.
  • As an adjective: tactful, diplomatic, prudent, judicious, polished.
Notes on Usage
  • The use of "khuôn khéo" as a noun referring to a physical tool is highly technical and less common in everyday language.
  • In modern Vietnamese, the adjectival meaning ("tactful") is the most frequently encountered usage. It describes a valued social skill of navigating situations with care and propriety.