Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having thin lips: Literally describes a physical characteristic of having thin lips.
   • Gossipy, tale-bearing: Figuratively describes a person who is indiscreet, who cannot keep secrets, and who readily reports what others have said or done, often to cause trouble or gain favor.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy có đôi môi mỏng môi. (She has thin lips.) [Literal usage]
  • Đừng kể bí mật cho nó, nó mỏng môi lắm. (Don't tell him/her the secret; he/she is very gossipy/tale-bearing.) [Figurative usage]
  • Tính nó mỏng môi, chuyện gì cũng mách với cô giáo. (He/She has a tale-bearing nature, telling the teacher everything.) [Figurative usage]

Advanced Usage

• The figurative meaning is far more common in modern usage than the literal one. It carries a strongly negative connotation, implying untrustworthiness and a tendency to stir up trouble.
• It is often used to describe children who tattle on their peers, but can be applied to adults as well.

Variants and Related Words

• Mách lẻo (verb/phrase): To tell tales, to tattle. This is a close synonym for the figurative sense of .
  • Nó hay mách lẻo với bố mẹ. (He/She often tells tales to his/her parents.)
• Hớt lẻo (verb): To butt into a conversation; to gossip or spread news indiscreetly. Related in concept to being talkative and indiscreet.

Synonyms

• Tale-bearer (n): Người mách lẻo.
• Gossipy (adj): Hay tán gẫu, hay ngồi lê đôi mách.
• Indiscreet (adj): Thiếu thận trọng, không biết giữ kín.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Mỏng môi hay hớt: A common pairing that emphasizes the characteristic of being talkative and prone to telling tales. It means "thin-lipped and prone to butting in/tattling."
  • Con bé đó mỏng môi hay hớt, đừng nói chuyện trước mặt nó. (That girl is a tale-bearer and gossip, don't talk in front of her.)

1. Table-telling, tale-bearing, peaching