lượt thà lượt thượt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Clumsy, awkward, or uncoordinated in movement or action: Describes a person or their movements as lacking grace, precision, or efficiency, often resulting in a slow, dragging, or bumbling manner.
- Sluggish or dilatory: Characterizes an action or process as being unnecessarily slow, drawn-out, or lacking in urgency and decisiveness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Anh ta làm việc gì cũng lượt thà lượt thượt, chẳng bao giờ nhanh nhẹn cả. (He does everything in such a clumsy, sluggish way; he's never quick.)
- Đừng có lượt thà lượt thượt nữa, chúng ta sắp muộn giờ rồi. (Stop being so slow and awkward; we're about to be late.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is a reduplicative compound, where "lượt thà" is paired with "lượt thượt" to create an intensified, expressive form. It is almost exclusively used in this full, repetitive form for emphasis.
Variants and Related Words
- Lượt thượt (adj): The shortened, more common base form meaning sluggish, dragging, or sloppy.
- Dáng đi của nó lượt thượt. (Its walking posture is sluggish.)
Synonyms
- Clumsy: Lacking grace or skill in movement.
- Awkward: Lacking ease or grace; ungainly.
- Sluggish: Slow-moving or inactive.
- Dilatory: Slow to act; intended to cause delay.
Related Idioms
- Làm ăn lượt thượt: To work in a slow, inefficient, or sloppy manner.
- Công ty không thích nhân viên làm ăn lượt thượt. (The company does not like employees who work in a sluggish, sloppy way.)