Definition

1. Verb:
   • To peck at: To eat food in very small, hesitant, or bird-like bites, often without appetite or enthusiasm.
   • To nibble at: To eat slowly, taking tiny, cautious amounts at a time.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa trẻ chỉ ăn nhon nhen vài hạt cơm. (The child just pecked at a few grains of rice.)
  • Cô ấy buồn bã nên ngồi nhon nhen đĩa salad. (She was sad, so she sat nibbling at her salad.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a lack of hunger, finickiness, or a distracted, unenthusiastic approach to eating. It can describe both human and animal behavior.

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn nhấm nháp (v): To sip or nibble slowly, often used for drinks or small snacks.
  • Ông già nhấm nháp ly rượu. (The old man sipped his wine slowly.)

Synonyms

• To pick at: To eat only small parts of a meal.
• To nibble: To eat with small, gentle bites.

Related Idioms

• Ăn như mèo: (To eat like a cat) An idiom describing someone who eats very little.
  • Nó ăn như mèo, cả ngày chỉ nhon nhen. (He eats like a cat, just pecking at food all day.)

1. Peck at
   • Ăn nhon nhen từng tí một
     To peck at [little bits of food