Definition

1. Verb:
   • To insistently urge or press: To repeatedly and earnestly request or persuade someone to do something, often creating a sense of obligation or pressure to comply.
   • To coerce through persistent entreaty: To force someone's agreement or action not by physical means, but by continuous, fervent pleading that is difficult to refuse.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tôi không muốn uống, đừng nài ép tôi. (I don't want to drink, don't press me.)
  • Cô ấy nài ép tôi ở lại thêm vài ngày. (She insistently urged me to stay a few more days.)
  • Khách hàng nài ép giảm giá. (The customer persistently pressed for a discount.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies the pressure is social or emotional, stemming from repeated, heartfelt requests rather than commands. It carries a nuance that the person being urged may feel compelled to agree to maintain harmony or avoid disappointing the insistent party.
• It is commonly used in contexts involving offers of food, drink, hospitality, or personal favors.

Variants and Related Words

• Nài (v): To plead, to beg persistently. This is the root verb, while "nài ép" intensifies the pressure.
  • Đứa trẻ nài mẹ mua đồ chơi. (The child pleaded with his mother to buy a toy.)
• Ép (v): To force, to compel. When combined with "nài," the force is specifically verbal and persistent.

Synonyms

• To press: To urge or insist strongly.
• To urge insistently: To recommend or advise with persistent earnestness.
• To coax: To persuade gently but persistently (though "coax" is less forceful).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Nài ép quá mức: To press or urge excessively.
  • Sự nài ép quá mức đôi khi phản tác dụng. (Excessive insistence can sometimes be counterproductive.)
• While not a fixed idiom, the concept is central to social interactions where refusing an offer (like food or drink) requires firmness due to the cultural expectation of polite, repeated offering, which can be described as "nài ép."

1. Force with entreaties