Definition

1. Adverb (phó từ):
   • In a staccato, monosyllabic, or abrupt manner: Describes speaking or reading in a way where each word or syllable is uttered separately and distinctly, often with pauses in between, giving an impression of terseness, reluctance, or lack of fluency.
   • In a clipped, curt, or choppy manner: Refers to a mode of communication that is brief, abrupt, and lacking in elaboration or connection.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy trả lời nhát gừng khi bị phỏng vấn. (He answered in a curt, monosyllabic manner during the interview.)
  • Cô bé đọc bài thơ nhát gừng vì còn chưa thuộc. (The little girl read the poem in a halting, staccato manner because she hadn't memorized it yet.)
  • Đừng nói chuyện nhát gừng như vậy, nghe khó chịu lắm. (Don't speak in such a clipped, abrupt way; it's very unpleasant to hear.)

Advanced Usage

• "Trả lời nhát gừng": To answer curtly/tersely/in monosyllables.
  • Cậu ấy chỉ trả lời nhát gừng "ừ" hoặc "không". (He only answered tersely with "yes" or "no".)
• "Đọc nhát gừng": To read in a halting/staccato manner.
  • Học sinh mới tập đọc thường đọc nhát gừng. (Students who are new to reading often read in a halting manner.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhát (adj/tính từ): Timid, cowardly. (Note: This is the root word but has a different primary meaning related to fear. In "nhát gừng," it contributes the sense of something being cut or broken into pieces, like timid actions being hesitant and separate.)
• Gừng (n/danh từ): Ginger. (The imagery in "nhát gừng" comes from the action of slicing ginger into thin, separate pieces, metaphorically applied to speech.)

Synonyms

• Cộc lốc: Curtly, bluntly, rudely.
• Ngắt quãng: Disconnectedly, intermittently.
• Từng tiếng một: Word by word.

Related Phrases

• Nói cộc lốc: To speak bluntly/curtly. (This is a close synonym in terms of abruptness but may carry a stronger connotation of rudeness.)
• Trả lời qua loa: To answer perfunctorily/superficially. (This shares the idea of an unsatisfactory, brief answer but focuses more on lack of care than on the staccato delivery.)

Related Idioms

• Nói như đấm vào tai: (To speak as if punching someone's ears) – To speak in a very unpleasant, harsh, or abrupt manner. This idiom shares the connotation of unpleasantness in speech but is stronger and more figurative than "nhát gừng."

1. Trả lời nhát gừng
2. To giveone-word answers