Definition

1. Verb:
   • To thread one's way: To move through a crowded, narrow, or obstructed space by skillfully navigating between obstacles.
   • To wriggle through: To maneuver oneself through a tight or difficult passage, often with a connotation of being sly or evasive.
   • To act in a cunning or opportunistic manner: To achieve a goal by using clever, often deceitful, methods to circumvent rules or difficulties.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta luồn lách qua đám đông để đến sân khấu. (He threaded his way through the crowd to get to the stage.)
  • Chiếc xe máy luồn lách giữa các xe ô tô. (The motorbike wriggled through between the cars.)
  • Hắn ta luồn lách để trốn thuế. (He used cunning methods to evade taxes.)

Advanced Usage

• This verb often carries a slightly negative connotation, implying a lack of straightforwardness or a willingness to bend rules.
• It can describe both physical movement and metaphorical social or bureaucratic maneuvering.

Variants and Related Words

• Luồn (v): To slip through, to go under or through something. Often used in a more neutral sense.

  • Con mèo luồn qua khe cửa. (The cat slipped through the door crack.)

• Lách (v): To squeeze through, to find a way through a narrow opening. Often implies more active effort.

  • Lách qua hàng rào. (To squeeze through the fence.)

Synonyms

• To weave: To move by changing direction frequently to navigate through obstacles.
• To sneak: To move stealthily or furtively.
• To maneuver: To perform a series of moves requiring skill and care.

Related Idioms

• Luồn cúi: To act in a servile or obsequious manner to gain favor.

  • Hắn chỉ biết luồn cúi cấp trên. (He only knows how to grovel to his superiors.)

• Khéo luồn khéo lách: To be very adept at cunning maneuvering (often used disapprovingly).

  • Gã đó khéo luồn khéo lách nên thăng tiến rất nhanh. (That guy is very adept at cunning maneuvering, so he got promoted very quickly.)

1. Thread one's way