Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Floating or drifting on water: Describes objects that are buoyant and moving gently on the surface of water, often carried by currents or waves.
   • Cumbersome or cumbrous: Describes something that is unwieldy, bulky, or awkward to handle due to its size, shape, or lack of organization.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Floating):

  • Những chiếc lá lềnh bềnh trên mặt hồ. (Leaves floating/drifting on the lake's surface.)
  • Chiếc thuyền nhỏ lềnh bềnh theo dòng nước. (The small boat drifted along with the current.)

• Adjective (Cumbersome):

  • Công việc lềnh bềnh mãi không xong. (The work is cumbersome and never gets finished.)
  • Bộ đồ ấy trông thật lềnh bềnh. (That outfit looks very bulky and awkward.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a connotation of slow, aimless, or ungraceful movement, whether literally on water or metaphorically for progress.

Variants and Related Words

• Lềnh phềnh (adj): A variant with a very similar meaning, often used interchangeably to describe something floating or being bulky and awkward.

Synonyms

• Floating, drifting, buoyant: For the meaning related to water.
• Cumbersome, unwieldy, bulky, awkward: For the meaning related to being awkward or unmanageable.

Related Idioms

• While not a fixed idiom, the phrase "lềnh bềnh như củi mục" (floating/drifting like rotten wood) is a common simile emphasizing passive, aimless drifting.

adj

1. cumbrous, cumbersome