Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Cumbersome and troublesome: Describes a situation, task, or process that is complicated, inconvenient, and requires a lot of troublesome effort.
   • With great difficulty / laboriously: Indicates that an action is performed with much effort and strain, often involving moving or handling something heavy or awkward.

2. Adverb:

   • In a cumbersome and laborious manner: Used to modify a verb, describing how an action is done in a way that is fussy, complicated, and effortful.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Việc dọn nhà thật là lịch kịch. (Moving house is really cumbersome and troublesome.)
  • Chuyến đi có nhiều vali nên rất lịch kịch. (The trip has many suitcases, so it's very cumbersome.)

• Adverb:

  • Ông ấy khuân chiếc tủ lạnh lịch kịch lên cầu thang. (He laboriously hauled the refrigerator up the stairs.)
  • Nấu bữa tiệc ấy lịch kịch cả ngày. (Preparing that feast was a laborious process all day.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often reduplicated as "lịch cà lịch kịch" to intensify the meaning, emphasizing an even greater level of fuss, complication, and effort.
  • Dự án này lịch cà lịch kịch quá, đầy thủ tục rườm rà. (This project is so incredibly cumbersome, full of tedious procedures.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lịch kịch (reduplicated form): Lịch cà lịch kịch. This is a common intensified variant.
• Cồng kềnh (adj): Bulky, unwieldy. Focuses more on physical size and difficulty in handling rather than the troublesome process.
• Rườm rà (adj): Cumbersome, complicated, tedious. Often refers to procedures or paperwork.

Synonyms

• Cumbersome: Clumsy and inefficient to handle.
• Laborious: Requiring considerable time and effort.
• Troublesome: Causing difficulty or annoyance.
• Fussy: Involving too much detail or unnecessary work.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Làm ăn lịch kịch: To do things in a fussy, inefficient, or overly complicated way.
  • Cứ làm thẳng tay đi, đừng làm ăn lịch kịch thế! (Just do it directly, don't be so fussy and complicated about it!)