Definition

1. Verb:
   • To adorn oneself; to beautify oneself: The primary meaning refers to the act of making one's external appearance more attractive, often through grooming, applying makeup, or adopting certain postures.
   • To pose; to act in a coquettish or affected manner: This sense implies putting on airs, striking poses, or behaving in a way intended to attract attention or admiration, sometimes perceived as vain or overly self-conscious.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy thích làm dáng trước khi ra ngoài. (She likes to adorn herself / to get dolled up before going out.)
  • Đừng làm dáng quá nhiều trước ống kính. (Don't pose / act coquettishly too much in front of the camera.)
  • Anh ta cứ làm dáng mãi với chiếc xe mới. (He keeps showing off / preening with his new car.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm dáng làm điệu": This is a common reduplicative phrase that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing excessive or affected preening and posing.
  • Cô ta suốt ngày chỉ biết làm dáng làm điệu. (All day long, she does nothing but primp and pose.)

Variants and Related Words

• Làm đẹp (verb): To beautify, to make beautiful. This is a more general and neutral term for improving one's appearance.
  • Cô ấy đang làm đẹp tại spa. (She is beautifying herself at the spa.)
• Chải chuốt (verb): To groom meticulously, to primp.
  • Anh ấy chải chuốt rất kỹ trước buổi hẹn. (He groomed himself very carefully before the date.)
• Điệu đà (adjective): Affected, coquettish, acting in a girlish or dainty manner. Often describes the characteristic of someone who frequently .

Synonyms

• Trang điểm (verb): To apply makeup. (A specific action that can be part of ).
• Tô điểm (verb): To adorn, to embellish. (Can be used for objects or oneself in a more literary sense).
• Phô trương (verb): To show off, to flaunt. (Focuses more on displaying something boastfully).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Làm bộ làm tịch / Làm bộ làm điệu: To put on airs, to affect manners. This idiom is very close in meaning to , emphasizing artificial or pretentious behavior.
  • Anh ta cứ làm bộ làm tịch như một ông hoàng. (He keeps putting on airs like a king.)

verb

1. to adorn oneself