lầm lầm lì lì
Definition
- Adjective (descriptive reduplicative phrase):
- Sullenly silent; stubbornly uncommunicative: Describes a person's demeanor as persistently gloomy, unresponsive, and refusing to speak or engage, often due to anger, resentment, or stubbornness. It implies a state of being both sulky and obstinate.
- In a brooding and taciturn manner: Portrays a continuous, withdrawn state where one is absorbed in silent, often negative, thoughts and refuses to interact.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Nó ngồi một góc, mặt lầm lầm lì lì cả buổi. (He sat in a corner, with a sullenly silent face all afternoon.)
- Bị mắng xong, đứa bé cứ lầm lầm lì lì không chịu nói gì. (After being scolded, the child remained stubbornly uncommunicative and refused to say anything.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase "lầm lầm lì lì" is a reduplicative form of the base adjective "lầm lì." The repetition intensifies the meaning, emphasizing the continuous, unbroken, and pronounced nature of the sullen and silent state.
Variants and Related Words
- Lầm lì (adj): sullen, sulky, morose.
- Tính nó khá lầm lì, ít khi cười nói. (He has a rather sullen temperament; he rarely talks or laughs.)
Synonyms
- Sullen: bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy.
- Morose: sullen and ill-tempered.
- Taciturn: reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
- Brooding: showing deep unhappiness of thought.
Related Idioms
- Lầm lì như hến: (to be) as silent as a clam. This idiom compares someone's stubborn silence to a closed shellfish.
- Hỏi mãi không trả lời, cứ lầm lì như hến. (I asked repeatedly but got no reply; he just remained as silent as a clam.)