Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To be idle with nothing to do; to be at a loose end: To be in a state of inactivity, often lying down, because one has no work, tasks, or engaging activities.
   • To be in a state of lack or deprivation (especially of food): To be lying idle, often implying a situation of having nothing to eat or insufficient resources.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Công việc đang chậm, tôi phải nằm meo ở nhà cả tuần. (Work is slow, I have to be at a loose end at home for a whole week.)
  • Hôm nay không có việc gì làm, nó cứ nằm meo trên giường suốt. (Having nothing to do today, he just lay idle on the bed all day.)
  • Nhà nghèo quá, bữa nay lại phải nằm meo. (The family is so poor, today we again have to go hungry/idle with nothing to eat.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a connotation of involuntary idleness due to external circumstances (like lack of work or food), not simply relaxing by choice.
• It can describe a temporary but frustrating state of having no purpose or activity.

Variants and Related Words

• Nằm ì: To lie still, to be inactive (can imply laziness or stubborn inactivity).
• Ngồi chơi xơi nước: To sit idle (literally: to sit, play, and drink water); to have nothing to do.
• Thất nghiệp: To be unemployed (more formal and direct).

Synonyms

• Nhàn rỗi: To be idle, free.
• Không có việc gì làm: To have nothing to do.
• Chán nản: To be bored, listless (focuses more on the feeling than the state).

Related Idioms

• Ăn không ngồi rồi: To be idle and live off others; to not work and have a leisurely life (often with a negative judgment).
  • Anh ta suốt ngày ăn không ngồi rồi, chẳng lo làm ăn gì. (He is idle all day, not worrying about making a living.)

Notes on Meaning

• The primary meaning is to be idle/at a loose end. The implication of having nothing to eat (as in the French-Vietnamese reference) is a specific, contextual extension of this core idea—being idle due to poverty and lack. In modern usage, the "idleness" aspect is more common than the explicit "hunger" aspect, though the latter can be understood from context.

1. Be at a loose end