lêu lổng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Idle and aimless: Describes a person, typically a young person, who wanders about with no purpose, avoids work or study, and lacks proper guidance or discipline.
- Vagrant; loafing: Characterizes a state of being without a steady occupation or proper supervision, often leading to unproductive behavior.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Thằng bé đó suốt ngày lêu lổng ngoài đường. (That boy is loafing around on the streets all day.)
- Bỏ học, nó bắt đầu sống một cuộc đời lêu lổng. (After dropping out of school, he began leading an idle, aimless life.)
- Cha mẹ lo lắng vì con cái họ chỉ biết lêu lổng. (The parents are worried because their children are just being idle and unproductive.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a strong negative connotation of wasted potential and neglect of responsibilities. It is frequently used to criticize youth who are not in school, training, or employment, and who lack direction.
Variants and Related Words
- Lêu lỏng: A common variant spelling with the same meaning.
- Lang thang (v): to wander, to roam. While "lang thang" can be neutral, "lêu lổng" implies the wandering is idle and irresponsible.
- Vô công rồi nghề (idiomatic phrase): to be idle and unemployed.
Synonyms
- Idle
- Aimless
- Vagrant
- Loafing
- Shiftless
Related Idioms
- Ăn không ngồi rồi: To be idle and live off others; to sit around and do nothing.
- Nó không chịu làm việc, chỉ ăn không ngồi rồi và lêu lổng. (He refuses to work, just sits around idle and loafs about.)