Definition

1. Verb:
   • To loiter about, to wander aimlessly: "lăng quăng" describes the action of moving around without a clear purpose or destination, often in a somewhat restless or idle manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mấy đứa trẻ cứ lăng quăng ngoài sân cả buổi chiều. (The children kept loitering about in the yard all afternoon.)
  • Anh ấy không có việc gì làm, chỉ lăng quăng quanh phố. (He has nothing to do, just wanders aimlessly around the streets.)

Advanced Usage

• "lăng quăng lẩn quẩn": to loiter or wander around in a repetitive, seemingly pointless way, often implying a small, confined area or a lack of progress.
  • Nó lăng quăng lẩn quẩn trong nhà suốt ngày, chẳng chịu học bài. (He loiters around the house all day, refusing to study.)

Variants and Related Words

• Loăng quăng (verb): A common variant with the same meaning as "lăng quăng" (to loiter about).

  • Đừng có loăng quăng ngoài đường, về nhà đi! (Don't loiter about on the street, go home!)

• Bọ gậy (noun): In some regional dialects, "lăng quăng" can also refer to mosquito larvae (wigglers). This meaning is listed separately in some dictionaries.

  • Trong lu nước đọng có nhiều lăng quăng. (There are many mosquito larvae in the stagnant water jar.)

Synonyms

• Đi lang thang: to roam, to wander.
• Quẩn quanh: to hang around, to mill about (often in a specific area).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary and most common usage of "lăng quăng" is as a verb meaning to loiter about.
• The noun meaning referring to mosquito larvae (bọ gậy) exists but is less common in standard usage and may be considered dialectal. It is crucial to distinguish this meaning based on context.

verb

1. to loiter about