Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Average, middling, so-so: Describes something that is neither good nor bad, but just acceptable or mediocre. It indicates a state of being ordinary, unremarkable, or barely adequate.
   • Tangled, convoluted, unclear: Refers to something that is messy, intertwined, or lacking clarity and distinct separation, such as complicated lines or confusing records.
   • Flickering, zigzagging (of light): Describes light, especially lightning, that appears in a twisting, crisscrossing pattern.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Average/Middling):
  • Công việc làm ăn của họ vẫn chỉ nhì nhằng. (Their business is still just so-so.)
  • "Anh khỏe không?" – "Cũng nhì nhằng." ("How are you?" – "Just average.")
• Adjective (Unclear/Tangled):
  • Mấy vụ việc này nhì nhằng, khó giải quyết lắm. (These matters are tangled and very difficult to resolve.)
  • Sổ sách ghi chép nhì nhằng, không kiểm tra được. (The bookkeeping is messy and unclear, making it impossible to audit.)
• Adjective (Flickering Light):
  • Tia chớp nhì nhằng trên bầu trời. (Lightning flickered zigzag across the sky.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used to express a state of stagnation or merely getting by without improvement or decline.
  • Cứ nhì nhằng thế này thì không phát triển được. (If we keep muddling along like this, we won't be able to develop.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhập nhằng (adj): Ambiguous, vague, equivocal. This is a close synonym, especially for the "unclear" meaning.
  • Lời giải thích nhập nhằng khó hiểu. (The ambiguous explanation is hard to understand.)

Synonyms

• So-so: Neither good nor bad.
• Mediocre: Of only moderate quality.
• Tangled: Complicated and confused.
• Indistinct: Not clear or sharply defined.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ăn ở nhì nhằng: To live in a mediocre or ambiguous manner.
  • Cả đời ông ấy ăn ở nhì nhằng, chẳng làm nên trò trống gì. (He lived a mediocre life all his years, never accomplishing anything significant.)
• Chuyện nhì nhằng: A convoluted, messy affair.
  • Đừng dính vào mấy chuyện nhì nhằng đó. (Don't get involved in those messy affairs.)

adj

1. average, miđling