Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Fastidious; hard to please: Describes a person who has very high, strict, or demanding standards and is difficult to satisfy, especially regarding details, quality, or behavior.
   • Cross-grained; irritable: Describes a person who is easily annoyed, quick to find fault, and generally difficult to get along with due to a demanding nature.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông chủ của tôi rất khó tính. (My boss is very hard to please.)
  • Cô ấy khó tính về ăn mặc. (She is fastidious about her clothing.)
  • Đừng khó tính với trẻ con như vậy. (Don't be so irritable with children like that.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a persistent character trait rather than a temporary mood.
• It can be used to describe demanding standards in specific areas (e.g., food, work, cleanliness) or a generally difficult personality.

Variants and Related Words

• Khó tính khó nết (idiomatic, colloquial): An intensified form meaning "extremely difficult and fussy," emphasizing a stubborn or demanding temperament.
  • Bà ấy khó tính khó nết, không ai chiều nổi. (She is extremely hard to please; no one can satisfy her.)

Synonyms

• Fastidious: Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.
• Demanding: Requiring much skill, effort, or attention.
• Fussy: Very concerned about unimportant details and hard to please.
• Irritable: Having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed.

Related Idioms

• While "khó tính" itself is a common descriptive term, the intensified form "khó tính khó nết" functions as a related idiom highlighting an ingrained, difficult character.

1. Fastidious, hard to please, cross-grained
   • Khó tính về ăn mặc
     To be fastidious about one's clothing
   • khó tính khó nết
     (khẩu ngữ) như khó tính