nhõng nhẽo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Whiny, petulant, or acting in a spoiled, fussy manner: Describes a child (or sometimes an adult behaving childishly) who is being overly demanding, fretful, or coaxing in an annoying way to get attention or something they want. It implies a persistent, irritating, and often tearful form of pleading or sulking.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ nhõng nhẽo đòi mẹ mua đồ chơi. (The child whined petulantly, demanding that her mother buy a toy.)
- Đừng có nhõng nhẽo như vậy, con đã lớn rồi. (Don't be so fussy and spoiled like that; you're grown up now.)
- Giọng nói nhõng nhẽo của cô ấy khiến anh ấy không thể từ chối. (Her coaxing, wheedling tone made him unable to refuse.)
Advanced Usage
- The term can sometimes be used to describe an adult's behavior that is inappropriately childish, coquettish, or manipulatively sweet to get their way.
- Cô ấy cứ nhõng nhẽo với sếp để được nghỉ sớm. (She just kept wheedling the boss to let her leave early.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nhõng nhẹo: A common variant spelling with the same meaning.
- Làm nhõng nhẽo (verb phrase): to act in a whiny, spoiled manner.
- Con trai tôi hay làm nhõng nhẽo khi buồn ngủ. (My son often acts fussy and whiny when he's sleepy.)
Synonyms
- Whiny: Complaining in a fretful, childish way.
- Petulant: Childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
- Fussy: Excessively concerned with details; hard to please.
- Coyly coaxing: Acting in a playfully reluctant or sweetly persuasive manner to gain something.
Related Idioms
- While "nhõng nhẽo" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the behavior is central to expressions about spoiling children.
- Chiều con quá hoá ra hư, suốt ngày nhõng nhẽo. (Indulging a child too much makes them spoiled; they whine all day.)