Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Tall and lanky / Tall and spindly: Describes a person who is very tall and thin, often with a suggestion of being awkwardly or excessively so.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cậu thanh niên cao nghễu đứng ở cổng. (The tall, lanky young man is standing at the gate.)
  • Dáng người cô ấy cao nghễu như cây sào. (Her figure is tall and spindly like a pole.)

Advanced Usage

• "cao nghễu": This is the most common and natural collocation. The word "nghễu" is almost always paired with "cao" (tall) to form the compound adjective "cao nghễu," meaning "very tall and thin."
  • Anh ta có vẻ yếu ớt với thân hình cao nghễu. (He seems frail with his tall, lanky build.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cao nghều (adj): A variant spelling and pronunciation with the same meaning: tall and lanky.
• Cao lêu nghêu (adj): An extended form emphasizing extreme height and thinness, often with a connotation of being gawky or ungainly.

Synonyms

• Lanky: Tall and thin in an ungraceful way.
• Gangly: Tall, thin, and awkward in movement.
• Spindly: Long or tall and thin, often appearing weak.

Notes on Usage

• "Nghễu" is rarely used alone in modern Vietnamese. It functions almost exclusively as part of the descriptive phrase "cao nghễu."
• The word carries a neutral to slightly descriptive tone and is not inherently negative, though it focuses on physical appearance.