lít nhít
Definition
- Adjective:
- Tiny and numerous / Teeming with small things: Describes a large quantity of very small items, marks, or beings, often creating a cluttered, dense, or messy appearance that is difficult to distinguish individually.
- Finicky and trivial / Nitpicky: Can describe overly detailed, petty, or trivial matters, often with a negative connotation of being bothersome or annoying.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Chữ viết tay của nó lít nhít, tôi không đọc được. (His handwriting is tiny and scribbly; I can't read it.)
- Lũ kiến lít nhít bò trên mặt đất. (A teeming mass of tiny ants crawled on the ground.)
- Đừng nói về mấy chuyện lít nhít ấy nữa. (Stop talking about those trivial/nitpicky matters.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in a reduplicative form for emphasis, which is its standard form. It vividly conveys a sense of visual clutter or auditory annoyance due to smallness and abundance.
Variants and Related Words
- Chi tiết lít nhít (n): Nitpicky, overly minute details.
- Báo cáo đầy những chi tiết lít nhít. (The report is full of nitpicky details.)
Synonyms
- Tiny and dense: Teeming, swarming, scribbly,密密麻麻 (mì mi mǎ mǎ - Chinese loanword sometimes used in Vietnamese for dense smallness).
- Trivial: Petty, nitpicky, finicky, picayune.
Related Idioms and Expressions
- Làm lít nhít: To make a mess of small things or to complicate with trivial details.
- Công việc đơn giản, đừng làm lít nhít lên. (The task is simple, don't complicate it with a bunch of trivialities.)