Definition

1. Verb:
   • To argue sophistically / to quibble: To engage in argument using clever but often false or misleading reasoning, focusing on trivial details rather than the main point. It implies using logic in a petty, unreasonable, or deceptive way.
   • To be argumentative: To have a tendency to argue, especially over minor points.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đừng nói lí nữa, hãy nhìn vào sự thật. (Stop quibbling; look at the facts.)
  • Anh ta không chịu thua, cứ nói lí mãi. (He wouldn't admit defeat and kept arguing sophistically.)
  • Cậu bé hay nói lí mỗi khi bị mẹ mắng. (The boy often gets argumentative whenever his mother scolds him.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a negative connotation, criticizing someone for being unnecessarily contrarian or for using flawed logic to avoid admitting a mistake or accepting a simple truth.

Variants and Related Words

• Cãi lí (v): A near-synonymous compound verb meaning to argue back, to dispute obstinately. It emphasizes the act of talking back or rebutting.
  • Nó thích cãi lí với thầy cô. (He likes to talk back to his teachers.)

Synonyms

• To quibble: To argue about small, unimportant details.
• To split hairs: To make small and unnecessary distinctions in an argument.
• To be disputatious: Inclined to argue or debate.

Related Idioms

• Nói lí lắc: An intensified, more colloquial form meaning to argue back and forth persistently and annoyingly with clever but irritating reasoning.
  • Thằng bé nói lí lắc, chẳng chịu nghe lời ai. (The kid argues back and forth stubbornly and doesn't listen to anyone.)