nhún nhảy
Definition
- Verb:
- To bounce lightly / to bob: To move with a series of small, springy, up-and-down motions, often conveying a sense of lightness, playfulness, or restrained energy.
- To mince / to walk with an affected gait: To walk or move in a dainty, exaggeratedly careful, or prim manner. This meaning aligns with the older, more specific usage found in some dictionaries.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Những đứa trẻ nhún nhảy vui vẻ trên tấm đệm lò xo. (The children bounced happily on the trampoline.)
- Cô ấy nhún nhảy theo điệu nhạc. (She bounced lightly to the music.)
- Chiếc đòn gánh nhún nhảy theo nhịp bước của người phụ nữ. (The carrying pole bobbed in rhythm with the woman's steps.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often describes a visual rhythm, such as the bouncing of hair, a dancer's steps, or the movement of a flexible object under weight.
- It can imply a cheerful, energetic state, especially when describing people or animals.
Variants and Related Words
- Nhún (v): to dip down slightly, to crouch a little. This is the core motion within "nhún nhảy."
- Nhảy (v): to jump, to leap. Combined with "nhún," it creates the meaning of repeated small jumps.
Synonyms
- Bounce: to spring back after hitting a surface.
- Bob: to move up and down briefly and repeatedly.
- Prate (archaic for the walking style): to walk in a prim, affected way.
Related Idioms
- While "nhún nhảy" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the action it describes is common in phrases about joy and movement, such as (to bounce with joy).