nhằn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To nibble (with the front teeth): To eat something by using the front teeth to pick off small, edible pieces, often from a larger item that has bones, shells, or inedible parts.
- (Colloquial) To manage, to accomplish, to get done: Used, often in negative or challenging contexts, to describe handling or completing a task, especially a difficult one.
Usage Examples
Verb (to nibble):
- Anh ấy ngồi nhằn hạt dưa. (He sits and nibbles on watermelon seeds.)
- Chó đang nhằn một khúc xương. (The dog is gnawing on a bone.)
Verb (to accomplish):
- Dự án này khó nhằn thật. (This project is really tough to get done.)
- Nó không nhằn nổi bài tập khó như vậy. (He can't manage such a difficult homework assignment.)
Advanced Usage
- The colloquial usage is almost exclusively used with adjectives like khó (difficult), dễ (easy), or nổi (to be able to) to comment on the feasibility of a task.
- Công việc dễ nhằn. (The job is easy to handle.)
- Bài toán này có nhằn nổi không? (Can you crack this math problem?)
Variants and Related Words
- Nhấm nhằn (v): To nibble or gnaw persistently; often used similarly to "nhằn" but can imply a slower, more deliberate action.
- Chuột nhấm nhằn miếng pho mát. (The mouse nibbled away at the piece of cheese.)
Synonyms
- To nibble / To gnaw: For the eating action.
- To tackle / To handle / To accomplish: For the task-oriented meaning.
Related Idioms
Khó nhằn: A hard nut to crack; a difficult task to accomplish.
- Đối thủ này khó nhằn đấy. (This opponent is a tough one to beat.)
Nhằn nhằn nhằn nhằn: (Onomatopoeic/reduplicative) To grumble or complain persistently in a low voice.
- Ông ấy cứ nhằn nhằn nhằn nhằn về thời tiết. (He just kept grumbling on and on about the weather.)
- Eat with one's fron teeth
- Nhằn hạt dưaTo eat wate-mellon seeds with one's fron teeth
- Nhằn sườnTo eat bits of rib with one's fron teeth.
- (thông tục) Get done, realise
- Việc ấy khó khăn lắmThat is a hard job to do; that is a hard nut to crack