Definitions

1. Verb:
   • To sing or recite disconnected phrases (for one's own entertainment): "nghêu" means to hum, sing, or recite phrases in a disconnected, often absent-minded manner, primarily for one's own amusement or to pass the time.
   • To chant softly: It can also refer to chanting or murmuring something in a low, often tuneless voice.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy ngồi một mình nghêu vài câu hát cũ. (He sat alone, humming a few lines of an old song.)
  • Cô bé nghêu bài thơ mà cô vừa học được. (The little girl recited the poem she had just learned in a sing-song voice.)

Advanced Usage

• "nghêu ngao": This is the more common reduplicated form, carrying the same meaning but often implying a more continuous, leisurely, or carefree act of humming or singing.
  • Cậu thanh niên đi trên đường, miệng nghêu ngao giai điệu vui vẻ. (The young man walked down the street, cheerfully humming a tune.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghêu ngao (verb, reduplicated form): To hum or sing softly and continuously.
  • Tiếng nghêu ngao của anh ấy vang khắp căn phòng trống. (His soft humming echoed throughout the empty room.)

Synonyms

• Ngâm nga (verb): To recite or chant (often poetry) in a modulated, drawn-out voice. This implies more rhythm and deliberation than "nghêu".
• Hát lầm rầm (verb phrase): To mumble-sing; to sing in a low, indistinct voice.

Related Phrases (if applicable)

• Nghêu vài câu: To hum/recite a few lines/phrases.
  • Buồn quá, tôi chỉ biết nghêu vài câu cho khuây khỏa. (I was so bored, I could only hum a few lines to distract myself.)

Related Idioms (if applicable)

• Nghêu ngao như chẳng có chuyện gì: To hum/sing nonchalantly as if nothing is wrong.
  • Mọi người đều lo lắng, còn anh ta cứ nghêu ngao như chẳng có chuyện gì. (Everyone was worried, but he just kept humming as if nothing was wrong.)

1. (địa phương) như ngao Sing, recite disconnected phrases (for one's own entertainment)