mau miệng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Quick to speak; having a ready tongue: Describes a person who speaks promptly, readily, or without hesitation, often responding quickly in conversation. It can carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation of being too quick to speak, sometimes without full thought.
- Voluble; talkative: Can imply a tendency to be chatty or responsive in social interactions like greetings and conversation.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa bé rất mau miệng, hỏi gì trả lời nấy ngay. (The child is very quick to speak, answering any question immediately.)
- Cô ấy mau miệng chào hỏi tất cả mọi người. (She is prompt in greeting everyone.)
- Đừng có mau miệng hứa hẹn rồi lại không làm. (Don't be so quick to make promises and then not keep them.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often describes a personality trait. While it can be positive (e.g., polite, responsive), it frequently suggests impulsiveness in speech, such as speaking out of turn, revealing secrets, or making rash promises.
- Nó mau miệng kể hết chuyện cho mẹ nghe. (He was quick to tell his mother the whole story.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mau mồm (adj): A more colloquial synonym with identical meaning and usage.
- Thằng đó mau mồm lắm, đừng nói gì trước mặt nó. (That guy has a very loose tongue, don't say anything in front of him.)
Synonyms
- Quick-tongued: Speaking rapidly or readily.
- Glib: Fluent but often insincere or shallow (can be a stronger, more negative synonym).
- Voluble: Talking fluently, readily, and at length.
Related Idioms
- Mau miệng ăn, vụng tay hay làm: A proverb similar to "Haste makes waste" or criticizing someone who is all talk but clumsy in action. It contrasts being quick to speak (or to eat) with being unskillful in doing.
- Nó toàn hứa suông thôi, đúng là mau miệng ăn vụng tay hay làm. (He only makes empty promises, truly all talk and no skill.)