nhùng nhằng
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective/Adverb (describing manner):
- Dilly-dallying or shilly-shallying: Describes the act of hesitating, procrastinating, or being indecisive for an extended period, often in an annoying or frustrating manner. It implies a lack of resolution and a tendency to drag things out.
- Dragging on / Lingering: Refers to a situation, matter, or process that is prolonged unnecessarily without progress or a clear conclusion.
Usage Examples
- Adjective/Adverb:
- Đừng có nhùng nhằng nữa, hãy quyết định đi! (Stop shilly-shallying, make a decision!)
- Công việc ấy nhùng nhằng mãi vẫn chưa xong. (That task keeps dragging on and is still not finished.)
- Nó nhùng nhằng không chịu trả lời câu hỏi. (He kept hemming and hawing, refusing to answer the question.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in its reduplicated form "nhùng nhà nhùng nhằng" to express a stronger, more emphatic sense of prolonged and irritating hesitation or delay.
- Cuộc đàm phán nhùng nhà nhùng nhằng cả tháng trời. (The negotiations dragged on and on for a whole month.)
Variants and Related Words
Do dự (v): to hesitate, to be indecisive.
- Cô ấy do dự trước khi ký hợp đồng. (She hesitated before signing the contract.)
Chần chừ (v): to delay, to procrastinate.
- Anh ấy chần chừ không chịu bắt đầu. (He procrastinated and wouldn't start.)
Synonyms
- Hesitate: to pause before acting or deciding.
- Procrastinate: to delay or postpone action.
- Dawdle: to waste time; to be slow.
- Vacillate: to waver between different opinions or actions.
Related Idioms
- While "nhùng nhằng" itself is descriptive, it is commonly used in contexts similar to the idiom "dây dưa kéo dài" (to drag out, to prolong unnecessarily).
- Mọi chuyện cứ nhùng nhằng như kiểu dây dưa mãi. (Everything just kept dragging on and on.)
- Dilly-dally, shilly-shally
- Nhùng nhằng mãi không quyết địnhTo shilly-shally for a long time [without making up one's mind]