ngẫu
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun (colloquial):
- A sense of spontaneous enjoyment or pleasure: A casual, often impulsive feeling of fun or amusement derived from a leisurely activity, especially when one has free time.
- A whim or a casual impulse: A sudden, unplanned desire to do something for enjoyment.
Adverb/Adjective (colloquial):
- At a loose end; with nothing to do: Describes a state of idle leisure or unplanned free time.
- By chance; spontaneously: Used to describe an action done on a whim, without prior planning or specific purpose.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Túi rỗng mà đi chơi thì có ngẫu gì. (There's no fun/pleasure in going out with empty pockets.)
- Adverb/Adjective:
- Nó đang ngẫu, nên đi uống cà phê thôi. (He's at a loose end, so let's just go for coffee.)
- Chúng tôi gặp nhau ngẫu thôi, không có hẹn trước. (We met by chance/spontaneously, without a prior appointment.)
- Đi chơi ngẫu. (To go out on a whim / because one is at a loose end.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is primarily used in informal, colloquial Northern Vietnamese speech.
- It often carries a connotation of idle, unstructured leisure time from which casual pleasure arises.
Variants and Related Words
- Chơi ngẫu (v.phr.): To hang out or amuse oneself idly, especially when one has nothing else to do.
- Cậu ấy suốt ngày chỉ chơi ngẫu. (He just hangs out idly all day.)
- Ngẫu nhiên (adj.): Accidental, random, fortuitous. This is the standard, more formal term for "by chance."
- Đây chỉ là sự gặp gỡ ngẫu nhiên. (This is just a chance encounter.)
Synonyms
- Noun: Pleasure, fun, amusement (in a casual, idle context).
- Adverb/Adjective: Spontaneously, idly, by chance, at loose ends.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Có ngẫu: To be in the mood for fun; to find something enjoyable.
- Hôm nay tôi chẳng có ngẫu đi đâu cả. (I'm not in the mood to go anywhere today.)
- Làm gì cho có ngẫu: To do something just for the sake of having something to do/to pass the time.
- Chúng tôi đi dạo cho có ngẫu thôi. (We went for a walk just to pass the time.)
- At a loose end
- Đi chơi ngẫuTo wnder about because one is at a loose end