nhè nhè

Đứa bé nhè nhè đòi mẹ mua cho một món đồ chơi.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Describes the persistent, whining, or nagging sound or behavior of a young child who is fussing, pleading, or complaining in a drawn-out manner to get something they want. It conveys a sense of mild annoyance due to the repetitive and insistent nature.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa trẻ nhè nhè đòi mua đồ chơi. (The child whined persistently, demanding to buy a toy.)
  • Nó cứ nhè nhè theo mẹ suốt cả ngày. (He kept fussing and following his mother all day long.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used to describe the behavior of young children or, by extension, someone behaving in a similarly childish, petulant manner. It is informal and often carries a slightly negative or exasperated connotation from the perspective of the adult.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhè (v): to fuss, to sulk; often used as the root for "nhè nhè," describing the initial act of a child starting to whine or cry.
  • Con đừng nhè nữa. (Don't fuss anymore.)

Synonyms

• Whine: to complain in a feeble or petulant way.
• Fuss: to show unnecessary or excessive excitement, annoyance, or concern.
• Nag: to annoy or irritate with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging.

Related Idioms

• While "nhè nhè" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the behavior it describes is central to common parental expressions of frustration, such as the concept of a child "làm nũng" (acting spoiled) or "ăn vạ" (throwing a tantrum).