ngoắt ngoẹo

Thân thiện

Cây yếu quá, ngoắt ngoẹo không mọc thẳng lên được.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Limp, not firm or straight; weak and bending: Describes something that lacks rigidity, strength, or straightness, often bending or drooping feebly.
   • Weakly, frail, lacking vitality: Describes a person, especially an infant, or thing that is physically weak and feeble.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cành cây bị gãy ngoắt ngoẹo. (The broken tree branch hung limp.)
  • Sợi dây thừng cũ ngoắt ngoẹo, không thể dùng được. (The old rope was limp and weak, unusable.)
  • Đứa trẻ sinh non trông rất ngoắt ngoẹo. (The premature baby looked very weakly.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe the physical state of objects (ropes, plants, structures) that are not taut or upright due to inherent weakness or damage.
• Used to describe the feeble physical condition of a person, often a newborn or someone very ill, emphasizing a lack of strength and firmness.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoằn ngoèo (adj): Winding, zigzagging (refers to a twisting path or line, not physical weakness).
• Yếu ớt (adj): Feeble, frail (a more general synonym for physical weakness).
• Oặt ẹo (adj/verb): To act overly weak or delicate; to feign weakness (often implies affectation).

Synonyms

• Mềm oặt: Limp, flaccid.
• Yếu đuối: Weak, feeble.
• Không cứng cáp: Not sturdy.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• While "ngoắt ngoẹo" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it can be used in descriptive phrases like:
  • người ngoắt ngoẹo: a limp/weakly person.
  • dáng đi ngoắt ngoẹo: a limp/wobbly gait.

Học thuật

1. Limp
   • Cây yếu quá, ngoặt ngoẹo không mọc thẳng lên được
     The plant was too weak, it was limp and could not grow straight
2. Weakly
   • Thằng bé đẻ thiếu tháng ngoặt ngoẹo
     That premature baby was weakly