ngãng
Definition
Verb:
- To withdraw; to disengage; to back out: To remove oneself from a commitment, agreement, or cooperative situation. This is the most common usage, often implying a sudden or unexpected withdrawal.
- To become indifferent or lose interest: To cease caring about or paying attention to something one was previously involved with.
Adjective (in compound form):
- Hard of hearing; inattentive: Used in the compound "nghễnh ngãng" to describe someone who is deaf or does not listen attentively.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nó ngãng ra rồi, không muốn hợp tác với chúng ta nữa. (He has backed out and no longer wants to cooperate with us.)
- Sau thất bại, cô ấy ngãng hẳn, không tham gia dự án nào. (After the failure, she completely withdrew and doesn't join any projects.)
Advanced Usage
- The verb is frequently used with the particle "ra" as "ngãng ra," which emphasizes the action of pulling away or disengaging.
- Đừng ngãng ra khi mọi việc đang khó khăn. (Don't back out when things are getting difficult.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nghễnh ngãng (adj): Hard of hearing; inattentive; not listening.
- Mắt lòa tai ngãng. (Blind and hard of hearing.)
- Ông ấy già rồi nên hơi nghễnh ngãng. (He's old so he's a bit hard of hearing.)
Synonyms
- Withdraw: To remove oneself from participation.
- Back out: To decide not to do something one had agreed to do.
- Disengage: To detach or separate oneself.
Notes on Usage
- The standalone use of "ngãng" as a verb is colloquial and often carries a slightly negative connotation of unreliability or fickleness.
- Its meaning as "hard of hearing" is almost exclusively found in the fixed, reduplicative compound "nghễnh ngãng." It is rarely used alone with this meaning.