màu mẽ
Definition
- Adjective:
- Gaudy, flashy, showy: Having a superficially bright, colorful, or elaborate appearance that is often intended to be impressive but may be seen as lacking in taste, substance, or genuineness.
- Merely ornamental: Describing something that is only for decorative or superficial effect, without underlying value or solidity.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Căn nhà ấy trang trí rất màu mẽ. (That house is decorated very gaudily.)
- Lời hứa của họ nghe có vẻ màu mẽ nhưng không có nội dung thực tế. (Their promise sounds flashy but has no practical substance.)
- Đó chỉ là một lời bào chữa màu mẽ. (That is merely a showy excuse.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in a critical or dismissive way to highlight the disparity between attractive appearance and poor quality or insincerity.
- It can describe speech, writing, decoration, or behavior that is overly embellished.
Variants and Related Words
- Hào nhoáng (adj): Ostentatious, glittering. A close synonym often used interchangeably with .
- Phong cách sống hào nhoáng. (An ostentatious lifestyle.)
Synonyms
- Flashy: Attracting attention by being bright, colorful, and excessive.
- Gaudy: Extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless.
- Showy: Having a striking appearance or style, often intended to attract attention.
- Meretricious: Apparently attractive but having no real value.
Related Idioms
- Màu mẽ riêu cua: A common idiom meaning "merely a beautiful shell" or "all show and no substance." It criticizes something that looks attractive on the surface but is empty, weak, or false inside, like the thin, colorful foam on a crab soup ().
- Kế hoạch của họ nghe thì hay nhưng thực chất chỉ là màu mẽ riêu cua. (Their plan sounds good, but in essence, it's all show and no substance.)