Definition

1. Adjective:
   • To be too young to (do something), to be of a very young age: Used to describe someone, typically a child or young person, who is considered far too young to be engaging in a particular (often negative or inappropriate) activity. It implies a significant mismatch between their tender age and the mature or adult nature of the action.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Mới nứt mắt mà đã hút thuốc. (To smoke at too young an age. / He's just a kid and already smoking.)
  • Thằng bé mới nứt mắt đã tập tành nói tục. (That boy is still wet behind the ears but is already learning to swear.)
  • Con nít nứt mắt vậy đã đòi đi chơi khuya. (A kid that young already wants to stay out late.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "nứt mắt" is almost exclusively used in a critical or disapproving context. It highlights the speaker's judgment that the person is not mature or old enough for the action in question.
• It often appears in the structure "Mới nứt mắt mà đã..." (To be just a child and already...), which strongly emphasizes the premature nature of the behavior.

Variants and Related Words

• Trẻ ranh (n): A brat, a young whippersnapper. Also used to refer to a young, inexperienced, and often impudent person.
• Non nớt (adj): Immature, green, tender in age or experience.
• Măng sữa (n, informal): Literally "milk bamboo shoot," a slang term for a very young person.

Synonyms

• Còn quá nhỏ: To be still too small/young.
• Chưa đủ tuổi: To be underage, not old enough.
• Trẻ người non dạ: Young in age and immature in mind.

Related Idioms

• "Mắt chưa mở": Literally "eyes not yet opened," another idiom implying extreme youth and lack of experience.
• "Sữa mẹ chưa khô môi": Literally "mother's milk hasn't dried on the lips," a very vivid idiom meaning to be extremely young and inexperienced.

1. be too young to (for)
   • Mới nứt mắt mà đã hút thuốc
     To smoke at too young an age