linh đời
Definition
- Adjective:
- Exceptionally clever, sharp, or astute: Describes a person, especially a child, who demonstrates remarkable intelligence, quick-wittedness, or cunning understanding beyond their years.
- Perceptive and worldly-wise: Suggests a keen, almost intuitive, grasp of practical life and human nature.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa bé đó linh đời lắm, nói chuyện như người lớn. (That child is exceptionally sharp; they talk like an adult.)
- Cô ấy nhìn linh đời, biết ngay anh đang nói dối. (She has a perceptive look and knew immediately he was lying.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a tone of admiration mixed with surprise at the subject's precociousness or street-smart nature. It implies a natural, untaught cleverness.
Variants and Related Words
Linh lợi (adj): agile, nimble (often physically or mentally).
- Nó là một đứa trẻ linh lợi. (He/She is an agile child.)
Khôn ngoan (adj): wise, shrewd.
- Cô ấy là một nhà kinh doanh khôn ngoan. (She is a shrewd businessperson.)
Synonyms
- Sharp: quick to understand.
- Astute: having an ability to accurately assess situations.
- Perceptive: having sensitive insight.
- Worldly-wise: experienced in the ways of the world.
Related Idioms
- Linh tính mách bảo: a gut feeling, an intuition tells someone.
- Tôi có linh tính mách bảo là chuyện này không ổn. (I have a gut feeling that this is not right.)