Definition

1. Adjective/Adverb (Tính từ/Trạng từ):
   • Persistent, nagging, going on and on: Describes an action or speech that is annoyingly repetitive, insistent, or long-winded without significant progress or conclusion. It implies a tedious, bothersome persistence.
   • At length, long-windedly: Refers to speaking or acting in a prolonged, drawn-out manner.

Usage Examples

• As an adjective/adverb:
  • Nó cứ lai nhai mãi một vấn đề cũ. (He keeps nagging on and on about an old issue.)
  • Đừng có lai nhai nữa, tôi mệt lắm rồi. (Stop being so persistent/nagging, I'm very tired.)
  • Bà ấy kể chuyện lai nhai cả buổi chiều. (She told the story at great length all afternoon.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lai nhai xin xỏ": to pester or beg insistently.
  • Thằng bé lai nhai xin xỏ mẹ mua đồ chơi. (The boy pestered his mother insistently to buy a toy.)
• "Nói lai nhai": to talk on and on, to ramble.
  • Ông ấy nói lai nhai về thời trẻ của mình. (He rambled on and on about his youth.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lài nhài (variant spelling): This is a common alternate spelling with the same meaning.
• Dai dẳng (adj): persistent, tenacious, prolonged (often for negative situations). While similar, "dai dẳng" can describe prolonged states (like an illness), whereas "lai nhai" more specifically describes repetitive speech or nagging behavior.
• Lèo nhèo (adj/adv): whining, nagging in a complaining tone. This is a close synonym, often used interchangeably with "lai nhai" in the context of nagging.

Synonyms

• Nói dai: to talk persistently.
• Càu nhàu: to grumble, to complain in a low voice (can overlap with the nagging aspect).
• Lẩn thẩn: to ramble, often due to old age (focuses more on incoherence than persistence).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Lai nhai như chấm mút: (Idiom) To be extremely persistent and nagging, like licking a dipping sauce stick. Emphasizes the tedious, repetitive nature.
  • Nó cứ lai nhai như chấm mút về chuyện đó. (He kept harping on about that issue incessantly.)

1. Insistent
   • Lai nhai xin tiền đi xem đá bóng
     To insistently ask for money for a football ticket