làm khó dễ
Một người đang cố tình làm khó dễ cho người khác bằng cách đặt ra nhiều câu hỏi phức tạp.
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To make things difficult (for someone): To deliberately create obstacles, complications, or unreasonable demands, often to hinder someone's progress or to pressure them into providing a favor or bribe.
- To give someone a hard time: To act in an obstructive or uncooperative manner, causing unnecessary trouble or inconvenience.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Hải quan có thể làm khó dễ nếu không có đủ giấy tờ. (Customs officers can make things difficult if you don't have all the documents.)
- Đừng làm khó dễ anh ấy nữa; anh ấy đang cố gắng hết sức rồi. (Stop giving him a hard time; he's doing his best.)
- Công ty đối tác đột nhiên làm khó dễ trong việc ký hợp đồng. (The partner company suddenly started making things difficult about signing the contract.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies an abuse of power or position, where one party creates artificial barriers to extract a benefit or simply to be disagreeable. It is commonly used in contexts involving bureaucracy, negotiations, or personal conflicts.
Variants and Related Words
- Gây khó khăn (verb phrase): to cause difficulties. This is a more general term without the strong connotation of deliberate obstruction found in "làm khó dễ."
- Thời tiết xấu gây khó khăn cho việc di chuyển. (Bad weather causes difficulties for travel.)
Synonyms
- To obstruct: To block or impede progress.
- To hassle: To harass or bother persistently.
- To be difficult: To be deliberately uncooperative.
Related Idioms
- "Vạch lá tìm sâu": Literally "to part the leaves to look for worms," meaning to nitpick or go out of one's way to find fault. This shares the concept of creating trouble where none naturally exists.
- Ông chủ mới thích vạch lá tìm sâu với mọi đề xuất. (The new boss likes to nitpick every proposal.)