Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hasty and talkative: Describes a person who speaks quickly, impulsively, and often without careful thought, typically resulting in rapid, disjointed, or excessive chatter.
   • Impulsive and rash: Characterizes someone who acts or reacts with hurried thoughtlessness, not limited to speech but extending to general behavior.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa bé nào cũng láu táu trả lời trước khi cô giáo hỏi xong. (Every child was hasty, answering before the teacher finished asking.)
  • Tính nó láu táu, hay làm đổ vỡ đồ. (He has a rash temperament and often breaks things.)
  • Cô ấy trả lời một cách láu táu, không suy nghĩ kỹ. (She answered in a hasty and thoughtless manner.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "láu táu" is a reduplicative form, where the base "láu" is repeated and modified to create a stronger, more vivid meaning. This structure is common in Vietnamese to emphasize a quality, often a negative one.
• It frequently carries a mildly critical or disapproving tone, implying that the person should be more deliberate, calm, or thoughtful.

Variants and Related Words

• Láu (adj): Sly, cunning, or cheeky (often of a child). While "láu" and "láu táu" share a root, their core meanings differ significantly.
• Hấp tấp (adj): Hasty, rushed, impetuous. This is a close synonym for the behavioral aspect of "láu táu" but does not inherently include the talkative component.
• Lắm lời (adj): Talkative, loquacious. This shares the quality of speaking a lot but lacks the connotation of impulsive haste.

Synonyms

• Garrulous: Excessively talkative.
• Impulsive: Acting without forethought.
• Precipitate: Done with undue haste.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ăn nói láu táu: To speak in a hasty and thoughtless way.
  • Mọi người khó hiểu khi cậu ấy ăn nói láu táu như vậy. (People found it hard to understand when he spoke so hastily and incoherently.)
• Tính tình láu táu: To have a rash or impetuous character.
  • Cần sửa cái tính tình láu táu thì mới làm được việc lớn. (You need to correct that rash character to accomplish big things.)