Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Slightly tilted / leaning: Describes an object or posture that is not perfectly vertical or horizontal, but is at a slight, often gentle, angle. It implies a moderate degree of inclination, not a severe or dramatic slant.
   • Somewhat askew: Indicates a state of being a little off-center or not perfectly straight.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bức tranh treo nghiêng nghiêng trên tường. (The picture hangs slightly tilted on the wall.)
  • Cô ấy ngồi nghiêng nghiêng, chống cằm suy nghĩ. (She sat leaning somewhat to the side, resting her chin in thought while thinking.)
  • Cái cây mọc nghiêng nghiêng vì gió. (The tree grows somewhat askew because of the wind.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "nghiêng nghiêng" is a reduplicative form (lặp từ) of the base adjective "nghiêng" (tilted, leaning). Reduplication often softens the meaning, indicating a lesser degree or a more gentle, continuous state. It can add a descriptive, sometimes poetic or observational, nuance.

Variants and Related Words

• Nghiêng (adj, v): Tilted, leaning; to tilt, to lean.

  • Mặt bàn bị nghiêng. (The tabletop is tilted.)

• Nghiêng ngả (adj): Describes something leaning or tilting in an unsteady, precarious, or pronounced manner.

  • Ngôi nhà nghiêng ngả sau trận bão. (The house leaned precariously after the storm.)

Synonyms

• Slightly slanted
• At a gentle incline
• Somewhat tilted

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Nghiêng nước nghiêng thành: (Idiom from the base word "nghiêng") Literally "to tilt cities and topple states," used to describe a woman of breathtaking beauty.

  • Sắc đẹp nghiêng nước nghiêng thành. (A beauty that could topple cities and states.)

• Nghiêng bên nọ, ngả bên kia: To be unsteady, to waver between sides or opinions.

  • Anh ấy đứng không vững, nghiêng bên nọ ngả bên kia. (He stood unsteadily, swaying from side to side.)