ngoan ngoãn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Well-behaved; obedient: Used primarily to describe a child who listens to and follows instructions from parents, teachers, or elders without causing trouble.
- Docile; gentle: Describes a mild, manageable, and compliant temperament.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ đó rất ngoan ngoãn và lễ phép. (That child is very well-behaved and polite.)
- Bố mẹ mong con cái sinh ra được khỏe mạnh và ngoan ngoãn. (Parents hope their children are born healthy and obedient.)
- Cô bé ngồi ngoan ngoãn trong góc đọc sách. (The little girl sat quietly in the corner reading a book.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in a praising or approving tone by adults towards children.
- It can be used in a slightly broader, sometimes ironic, context to describe an adult's unusually compliant behavior.
- Sau khi bị phê bình, anh ta đã trở nên ngoan ngoãn hơn. (After being criticized, he became much more docile.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngoan (adj): Good, obedient. A shorter, more common form with a very similar meaning.
- Con ngoan! (Good child!)
- Ngoan ngoãn nghe lời (phrase): Obedient and heedful of advice/instructions.
- Cháu phải ngoan ngoãn nghe lời ông bà. (You must be good and listen to your grandparents.)
Synonyms
- Obedient: Complying with orders or instructions.
- Well-behaved: Conducting oneself properly.
- Docile: Ready to accept control or instruction; submissive.
- Tractable: Easy to control or influence.
Related Idioms
- Ngoan như cục đất: As good/obedient as a lump of earth. An idiom emphasizing extreme docility or passivity.
- Đứa bé ấy ngoan như cục đất, đặt đâu ngồi đấy. (That child is as docile as a lump of earth; you can place him anywhere and he'll sit there.)