Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Maze-like; tangled; intricately intertwined: Describes a state of being extremely messy, disordered, and complexly interwoven, like a labyrinth. It implies a confusing lack of order or clear arrangement.
   • Hopelessly entangled; inextricable: Suggests a situation or physical state that is so complicated and intertwined that it is difficult to separate or resolve.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Dây điện mắc nhằng nhịt. (The electric wires are tangled in a maze-like mess.)
  • Đường đi trong khu phố cổ nhằng nhịt. (The alleys in the old quarter are labyrinthine.)
  • Mối quan hệ giữa họ thật nhằng nhịt. (The relationship between them is hopelessly tangled.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe abstract concepts like problems, stories, or relationships that are overly complicated and confusing.
  • Vụ án có một tình tiết nhằng nhịt, khó phân giải. (The case has a tangled plot that is hard to unravel.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rối nhằng nhịt (adj): A reinforced form meaning "extremely tangled and messy."
  • Sợi chỉ rối nhằng nhịt. (The thread is in an utter tangle.)

Synonyms

• Tangled: Twisted together untidily.
• Labyrinthine: Like a maze; intricate and confusing.
• Inextricable: Impossible to disentangle or separate.
• Jumbled: Mixed up in a disordered way.

Related Idioms

• While "nhằng nhịt" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in descriptive phrases to emphasize extreme disorder.
  • Rối như canh hẹ (lit. tangled like chive soup): A common idiom meaning a hopelessly tangled mess, similar in meaning to "nhằng nhịt."

1. Maze-like
   • Dây điện mắc nhằng nhịt
     Elestric wires stretched like a maze