Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stubbornly disobedient, recalcitrant: Describes a person, especially a child or young person, who refuses to listen to advice or instructions, often in a persistent, petulant, or sulky manner. It implies a state of being uncooperative and contrary without offering a direct refusal.
   • Contrary, balky: Characterizes a defiant attitude where one resists authority or guidance through passive resistance or grumbling non-compliance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa trẻ đó rất nhủng nhẳng, bảo gì cũng không nghe. (That child is very stubbornly disobedient; they don't listen to anything they're told.)
  • Nó cứ nhủng nhẳng không chịu làm bài tập. (He keeps being contrary and refuses to do his homework.)
  • Thái độ nhủng nhẳng của cậu ấy khiến mọi người rất bực mình. (His recalcitrant attitude annoys everyone.)

Advanced Usage

• "tính nhủng nhẳng": a disposition of being stubbornly disobedient.

  • Tính nhủng nhẳng của nó cần phải sửa ngay. (His disposition of being stubbornly disobedient needs to be corrected immediately.)

• "nhủng nhẳng cưỡng lời": to be disobedient and act against advice/orders. This is a common collocation.

  • Con cái không nên nhủng nhẳng cưỡng lời cha mẹ. (Children should not be disobedient and act against their parents' words.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cứng đầu (adj): Stubborn, obstinate. This is a stronger, more general term for stubbornness.
• Bướng bỉnh (adj): Headstrong, willful. Often used for children who insist on having their own way.
• Ngang ngạnh (adj): Recalcitrant, defiant. Emphasizes open defiance.
• Khó bảo (adj): Hard to advise, difficult to manage. Describes someone who is not receptive to guidance.

Synonyms

• Ngoan cố: Obstinate, stubborn (often with a negative connotation of persisting in error).
• Không nghe lời: Disobedient (a more direct and common phrase).
• Cãi lời: To talk back, to contradict (implies verbal defiance).

Notes on Meaning and Usage

• "Nhủng nhẳng" specifically describes a type of disobedience that is not necessarily loud or aggressive, but is persistent, sulky, and characterized by a refusal to comply willingly. It often carries a tone of irritation from the speaker.
• It is typically used to describe the behavior of younger people (children, teenagers) towards elders or authority figures (parents, teachers).
• The word is less common in formal writing and is more frequently used in spoken Vietnamese or descriptive narratives.

1. Refuse to listen tọ
   • Nhủng nhẳng cưỡng lời cha mẹ
     To refuse to listen to and act against one's parents advice