làm khách
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To stand on ceremony; to be overly formal or polite, especially by refusing or hesitating to accept hospitality (like food, drink) when offered: The phrase describes the act of being a guest who is excessively polite, often refusing offers of food or drink out of a sense of formality or not wanting to impose, even when such refusal is not expected by the host.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Chỗ họ hàng gần, xin đừng làm khách. (We are close relatives, please don't stand on ceremony.)
- Cứ tự nhiên đi, đừng làm khách! (Please make yourself at home, don't be so formal!)
- Anh ấy cứ làm khách mãi, không chịu ăn gì cả. (He kept refusing politely and wouldn't eat anything.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies a gentle criticism or encouragement from the host, urging the guest to relax, be informal, and accept hospitality freely. It highlights a cultural expectation of warmth and familiarity in certain relationships.
- It can describe behavior perceived as unnecessarily distant or reserved in a social context where closeness is assumed or desired.
Variants and Related Words
- Khách sáo (adj): Overly polite, ceremonious, insincerely formal.
- Đừng khách sáo với tôi. (Don't be so ceremoniously polite with me.)
- Làm khách sáo: A slightly more formal or literary variant with the same core meaning as "làm khách".
Synonyms
- Giữ ý: To be reserved, to hold back out of politeness or consideration.
- Giữ kẽ: To keep a distance, to maintain formality.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Làm bộ làm tịch: To put on airs, to act affectedly (can overlap in contexts of false formality).
- Làm cao: To act superior, to put on airs (implies arrogance, whereas "làm khách" implies excessive politeness).
Related Idioms
- While "làm khách" itself is a set phrase, it is central to the social idiom of urging informality: (Feel at home here, don't stand on ceremony).
- Stand on ceremony
- Chỗ họ hàng gần, xin đừng làm kháchBetween close relations please don't stand on ceremony