lầu nhầu
Definition
- Adjective:
- Grumbling, muttering: Describes the action of speaking in a low, indistinct, and continuous voice, typically expressing annoyance, discontent, or anger. It implies complaining under one's breath.
- Disheveled, messy: Describes something, especially hair, that is tangled, untidy, and in a state of disorder.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (Grumbling):
- Ông ấy ngồi một góc lầu nhầu cả buổi. (He sat in a corner grumbling all afternoon.)
- Đừng có lầu nhầu nữa, hãy nói to lên đi! (Stop muttering; speak up!)
- Adjective (Messy):
- Sau trận mưa, tóc cô ấy trông lầu nhầu. (After the rain, her hair looked disheveled.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used to depict a physical state of untidiness that also suggests a corresponding internal state of irritation or frustration.
Variants and Related Words
- Càu nhàu (v/adj): To grumble, to grouse. This is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably with the "grumbling" sense of .
- Anh ta càu nhàu về thời tiết. (He grumbled about the weather.)
- Bù xù (adj): Specifically describes hair that is frizzy, puffy, and unkempt.
- Mái tóc bù xù. (A head of frizzy, unkempt hair.)
Synonyms
- Grumbling: Complaining in a bad-tempered way.
- Muttering: Speaking in a low, unclear voice.
- Disheveled: Untidy, disordered (especially of hair or appearance).
Related Idioms
- While itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its meaning overlaps with the common expression "càu nhàu, cằn nhằn", which means to nag or complain persistently.
- Suốt ngày chỉ biết càu nhàu cằn nhằn. (All day long, all they do is nag and complain.)