Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cunning; Sly: Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion. It describes a person, especially a child, who is clever in a way that is slightly mischievous or deceptive.
   • Shrewd; Smart: Clever and having good judgment, often in a practical, street-smart way that involves quick thinking.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa bé đó rất láu cá. (That child is very cunning/sly.)
  • Anh ta là một thương nhân láu cá. (He is a shrewd businessman.)
  • Nó trả lời láu cá khi bị cô giáo hỏi. (He answered slyly when the teacher asked him.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a nuance of playful or harmless cleverness, especially when describing children. However, it can imply untrustworthiness or trickery when describing adults.
• "láu tôm láu cá": An intensified idiom meaning extremely cunning or sly.
  • Tên bán hàng đó láu tôm láu cá, đừng tin. (That vendor is extremely sly, don't trust him.)

Variants and Related Words

• Láu (adj): A shorter, more colloquial form with a similar meaning of being sly or cheekily clever.
  • Thằng bé láu lắm! (That boy is very cheeky/sly!)

Synonyms

• Cunning: Skilled in deception.
• Sly: Clever in a dishonest or secretive way.
• Shrewd: Having sharp powers of judgment; astute.
• Crafty: Clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods.

Related Idioms

• Láu cá như cáo: As sly as a fox. Used to emphasize someone's cunning nature.
  • Hắn láu cá như cáo, mình phải cẩn thận. (He's as sly as a fox; we must be careful.)

adj

1. smart; cunning