Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Skillful; dexterous: Possessing or showing fine motor skills, adroitness, and precision, especially with the hands.
   • Tactful; diplomatic: Showing sensitivity and cleverness in dealing with people or difficult situations to avoid offense.

2. Adverb:

   • Skillfully; deftly: In a manner that demonstrates adroitness and precision.
   • Tactfully; diplomatically: In a manner that is considerate and clever in social interactions.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Người thợ thủ công đó rất khéo léo. (That artisan is very skillful.)
  • Cô ấy đã có một cách từ chối rất khéo léo. (She gave a very tactful refusal.)
• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy khéo léo lắp ráp các bộ phận nhỏ. (He assembles the small parts deftly.)
  • Họ khéo léo dàn xếp mâu thuẫn. (They negotiated the conflict diplomatically.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe abstract cleverness or finesse in non-physical tasks.
  • Một chiến lược khéo léo. (A clever strategy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khéo (adj/adv): Skillful; skillfully. A more concise, often interchangeable form.
  • Bàn tay khéo. (Skillful hands.)
• Sự khéo léo (n): Skillfulness; dexterity; tact.
  • Sự khéo léo trong giao tiếp là rất quan trọng. (Tact in communication is very important.)

Synonyms

• Skillful: Having or showing skill.
• Dexterous: Demonstrating neat skill, especially with the hands.
• Tactful: Having or showing tact.
• Adroit: Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

Related Idioms

• Khéo tay hay làm: Skilled hands are good at doing (work). Used to praise someone's manual skill and industriousness.
  • Chị ấy may quần áo rất đẹp, đúng là khéo tay hay làm. (She sews clothes very beautifully, truly skilled and diligent.)

1. như khéo (nói khái quát)
   • Chân tay khéo léo
     To be skilful with one's hands