Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Courteous and modest: Describes a polite, humble, and unassuming attitude or manner.
   • Very soft, overripe, pulpy: Describes something that is extremely soft, often to the point of being mushy, especially referring to overripe fruit.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Courteous/Modest):

  • Anh ấy có thái độ rất nhũn khi nói chuyện với sếp. (He has a very courteous and modest attitude when talking to his boss.)
  • Đừng nhũn quá, hãy tự tin lên một chút. (Don't be overly modest, be a bit more confident.)

• Adjective (Soft/Overripe):

  • Những quả chuối này đã chín nhũn, không ăn được nữa. (These bananas are pulpily ripe and can no longer be eaten.)
  • Trái hồng chín nhũn, thịt rất ngọt. (The persimmon is crumblingly ripe, and the flesh is very sweet.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhũn như con chi chi": An idiom describing an excessively modest, shy, or self-effacing attitude, often to the point of seeming timid or overly deferential.

  • Cô ấy nhũn như con chi chi, chẳng dám phát biểu ý kiến gì. (She is overly modest and doesn't dare to express any opinion.)

• "xử nhũn": A phrase meaning to act in a more flexible, accommodating, or yielding manner than before, often to de-escalate a situation.

  • Thấy đối phương nóng nảy, anh ta quyết định xử nhũn để tránh xung đột. (Seeing the other party was hot-tempered, he decided to soft-pedal to avoid conflict.)

Variants and Related Words

• nhũn nhùn (reduplicative form, intensive meaning): Emphasizes a state of being very soft, crumbling, or completely overripe.

  • Quả na chín nhũn nhùn. (The custard apple is crumblingly ripe.)

• nhùn nhũn (reduplicative form, attenuative meaning): Suggests something is slightly soft or beginning to become overripe.

  • Trái xoài hơi nhùn nhũn, nên ăn sớm đi. (The mango is slightly soft, so you should eat it soon.)

Synonyms

• Khiêm tốn, nhã nhặn (for the modest meaning): Humble, polite.
• Mềm nhũn, nát (for the soft meaning): Mushy, pulpy, rotten-soft.

Related Phrases

• Ăn nói nhũn: To speak in a gentle, humble, and polite manner.
  • Dù bực mình, anh ấy vẫn ăn nói rất nhũn. (Even though he was annoyed, he still spoke very courteously.)

Related Idioms

• Cứng thì gãy, mềm thì nhũn: An idiom meaning "If it's hard, it will break; if it's soft, it will become mushy." It is used to advise flexibility and adaptability, suggesting that neither extreme rigidity nor excessive softness is ideal.
  • Trong đàm phán, phải biết linh hoạt, cứng thì gãy, mềm thì nhũn mà. (In negotiation, you must be flexible; you know, if it's hard, it will break, if it's soft, it will become mushy.)

1. Courteous and modest
   • Thái độ nhũn
     A courteous and modest attitude
   • Nhũn như con chi chi
     To show an overmodest attitude
   • Xử nhũn
     To soft pedal, to show more flexibility than before
2. Very soft
   • Quả chuối nhũn
     A very soft banana
   • Chín nhũn
     Pulpily ripe overripe
   • nhũn nhùn (láy, ý tăng)
     Crumblingly soft, crumblingly ripe
   • Quả na chín nhũn nhùn
     A crumblingly ripe custard-apple