Definition

1. Verb:
   • To finger: To touch, handle, or manipulate something gently, softly, and often repeatedly with the tips of the fingers, usually in a slow, thoughtful, or affectionate manner.
   • To fondle: To caress or stroke something lightly and lovingly with the fingers.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy mân mê chiếc vòng cổ bằng bạc. (She fingered the silver necklace.)
  • Đứa trẻ ngồi mân mê con gấu bông. (The child sat fondling the teddy bear.)
  • Ông lão mân mê chòm râu. (The old man fingered his beard.)

Advanced Usage

• The action often implies a sense of contemplation, nostalgia, tenderness, or absent-minded habit. It is not typically used for purposeful examination or rough handling.

Variants and Related Words

• Vuốt ve (v): To stroke or pet, often with a smoother, more linear motion compared to the more localized, fiddling action of "mân mê".

Synonyms

• Finger: To touch or feel with the fingers.
• Fondle: To handle tenderly or lovingly.
• Toy with: To fiddle with something absently.

Related Idioms

• While "mân mê" itself is often used in descriptive phrases, a common related expression is "mân mê mân mó", which intensifies the meaning to continuous, gentle touching and handling.
  • Nó cứ mân mê mân mó chiếc điện thoại mới. (He just kept fingering and fidgeting with his new phone.)

verb

1. finger