Definition

Adjective: - Half-hearted, half-baked, incomplete: Describes an action, measure, or result that is done without full effort, commitment, or thoroughness, leaving it incomplete or unsatisfactory. It implies a lack of seriousness or a tendency to stop midway.

Usage

The word "nửa vời" is used to criticize the quality or execution of an action, plan, or solution. It emphasizes that something is not done properly or to its full extent, often leading to ineffectiveness or failure. It is commonly used with verbs like "làm" (to do/make) or "biện pháp" (measure/solution).

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy luôn làm việc một cách nửa vời, nên chẳng bao giờ hoàn thành tốt. (He always works in a half-hearted way, so he never completes anything well.)
  • Đây là một kế hoạch nửa vời, thiếu nhiều chi tiết quan trọng. (This is a half-baked plan, lacking many important details.)
  • Chúng ta cần một giải pháp triệt để, chứ không phải biện pháp nửa vời. (We need a thorough solution, not a half-measure.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm nửa vời": This is the most common collocation, meaning "to do something by halves" or "to do something in a half-hearted manner."
  • Đừng làm nửa vời bất cứ việc gì, hãy cố gắng hết sức. (Don't do anything by halves, try your best.)
• "Công việc nửa vời" / "Sản phẩm nửa vời": Describes work or a product that is incomplete or of poor quality.
  • Khách hàng không chấp nhận những sản phẩm nửa vời. (Customers do not accept half-baked products.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nửa chừng (Adverb/Adjective): Midway, halfway, incomplete. Often used interchangeably with "nửa vời" to describe something stopped or left unfinished.
  • Dự án bị bỏ dở nửa chừng vì thiếu kinh phí. (The project was abandoned midway due to lack of funding.)

Synonyms

• Qua loa, đại khái: Perfunctory, cursory, done just for the sake of doing it without care.
• Cẩu thả: Sloppy, careless.
• Không đến nơi đến chốn: Not thorough, not done properly.

Antonyms

• Triệt để: Thorough, radical, complete.
• Trọn vẹn: Complete, whole, full.
• Chu đáo, cẩn thận: Careful, meticulous, thorough.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Đầu voi đuôi chuột: Literally "elephant's head, mouse's tail"; meaning something starts impressively but ends poorly or insignificantly. This shares the concept of an unsatisfactory, incomplete result similar to "nửa vời."

1. Làm nửa vời
2. To do (something) by halves