Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To idle away one's time: To spend time doing nothing productive or useful; to be inactive.
   • To be idle / to be unoccupied: To be in a state of not working, not studying, and not engaging in any meaningful activity.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Cả ngày anh ta chỉ ngồi dưng ở nhà. (He just idles away all day at home.)
  • Không được ngồi dưng mà phải học bài. (Don't just sit idle; you must study.)
  • Công ty đóng cửa, nhiều công nhân phải ngồi dưng. (The company closed, leaving many workers idle.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a negative connotation, implying laziness, wasted potential, or unproductiveness. It describes a voluntary or involuntary state of inactivity.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngồi rồi (verb phrase): A synonym with the same meaning: to be idle, to do nothing.
  • Suốt kỳ nghỉ, nó chỉ ngồi rồi. (During the whole vacation, he just did nothing.)

Synonyms

• To laze around: To spend time relaxing or doing very little.
• To be idle: To not be working or active.
• To loaf: To spend time in a lazy, aimless way.

Related Idioms

• Ăn không ngồi rồi: To be a loafer; to live without working. This idiom is stronger, directly criticizing someone who lives off others without contributing.
  • Anh ta suốt ngày ăn không ngồi rồi. (He loafs around all day without working.)

1. Idle away one's time. become a lazybones from idling away one's time too long