Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Whiny, nagging: Describes a person, especially a child, who persistently complains or fusses in a feeble, irritating, and drawn-out manner.
   • Petty, trivial: Can describe speech or behavior that is annoyingly focused on minor, unimportant details.

2. Adverb:

   • In a whining/nagging manner: Describes the action of speaking or complaining in a persistent, high-pitched, and irritating way.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Đứa trẻ đó lúc nào cũng lẻ nhẻ. (That child is always whiny.)
  • Đừng có lẻ nhẻ về chuyện nhỏ nhặt ấy nữa. (Stop being so petty about that trivial matter.)

• Adverb:

  • Nó cứ lẻ nhẻ đòi mua đồ chơi. (He kept whining to buy a toy.)
  • Cô ấy nói lẻ nhẻ cả buổi sáng. (She nagged all morning long.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in a reduplicative form for emphasis: "lẻ nhẻ lè nhè". This intensifies the meaning of being annoyingly persistent in complaining.
  • Nó khóc lẻ nhẻ lè nhè không chịu ngủ. (He cried and whined persistently, refusing to sleep.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lè nhè (adj/adv): A more common variant with the same meaning of being whiny, nagging, or speaking in a slurred, drunken manner.
  • Ông ấy say rượu nói lè nhè. (He was drunk and spoke slurrily.)

Synonyms

• Whiny: Complaining in a feeble or petulant way.
• Nagging: Persistently annoying or finding fault.
• Petty: Overly concerned with trivial details.

Related Idioms

• While not a fixed idiom, the phrase "lẻ nhẻ lè nhè" is a common collocation that functions like an idiom, emphasizing continuous, irritating complaint.