Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Noisy, clamorous, uproarious: Describes a loud, chaotic, and disorderly situation where many voices or sounds are raised together, often in protest, complaint, or excitement. It emphasizes a collective, unrestrained, and somewhat chaotic din.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đám đông nhao nhao phản đối quyết định. (The crowd clamored noisily to protest the decision.)
  • Tin đồn làm cả văn phòng nhao nhao lên. (The rumor made the whole office erupt in an uproar.)
  • Bọn trẻ nhao nhao đòi đi chơi. (The children clamored noisily, demanding to go out.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhao nhao lên": to erupt into an uproar, to burst into noisy clamor. This phrase emphasizes the sudden onset of the noise or protest.
  • Khi kết quả được công bố, khán giả nhao nhao lên. (When the result was announced, the audience erupted into an uproar.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhao (verb): to clamor, to make a noisy protest. This is the root verb from which "nhao nhao" is derived as a reduplicative (láy) form that intensifies the meaning.
  • Họ nhao lên khi nghe tin. (They clamored upon hearing the news.)

Synonyms

• Ồn ào: noisy, boisterous (general term for noise).
• Hỗn loạn: chaotic, tumultuous (emphasizes disorder more than sound).
• La ó: to boo, to jeer (specifically vocal disapproval).

Notes on Meaning

• Nhao nhao specifically describes a collective, vocal, and often agitated noise. It is not used for mechanical sounds (like a noisy engine) but almost exclusively for groups of people (or sometimes animals) creating a loud, disorderly commotion with their voices. It often carries a negative connotation of protest, complaint, or unruly behavior.

1. xem nhao (láy)