nảy nòi
Definition
- Verb (idiomatic, informal):
- To begin to sprout (a negative trait): To unexpectedly develop or display a bad habit, vice, or undesirable characteristic that was not present in one's ancestors or family lineage. It implies a sudden, surprising emergence of a flaw that seems alien to one's heritage.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cả nhà ai cũng hiền lành, chỉ có nó mới nảy nòi hung dữ như thế. (Everyone in the family is gentle; only he has begun to sprout such violence.)
- Sao thằng bé lại nảy nòi hung dữ thế? (Why has the boy begun to sprout such fierceness?)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in a negative, critical, or surprised context to comment on the incongruous appearance of a bad trait in an individual compared to their family background.
- It often carries a tone of disappointment or bewilderment.
Word Origin and Nuance
- The phrase combines "nảy" (to sprout, to spring up) and "nòi" (breed, lineage, stock). The literal image is of a bad trait "sprouting" from an otherwise good "stock," highlighting its unexpected and unwelcome nature.
- It specifically refers to non-hereditary defects, emphasizing that the trait is not inherited but has appeared anew in the individual.
Synonyms
- To develop (a bad trait): To begin to have or exhibit.
- To manifest unexpectedly: To appear suddenly and surprisingly.
- To contract (vices) (as used in the French reference): To acquire, especially something undesirable.
Related Idioms and Concepts
- "Con sâu làm rầu nồi canh": A black sheep, one bad apple spoils the bunch. This idiom describes a person who brings disgrace, while "nảy nòi" focuses on the of the bad trait.
- "Khác máu tanh lòng": Of different blood, different feelings. This refers to inherent difference, whereas "nảy nòi" is about an acquired difference in behavior.
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Begin to sprout (a defect not hereditary)
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Cả nhà ai cũng hiền lành, chỉ có nó mới nảy nòi hung dữ như thếOf all the members of the family who are quite gentle only he has begun to sprout such vionlence
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