Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Persistent, tenacious, hard to get rid of: Describes something that is annoyingly persistent, clinging, or difficult to end or separate from.
   • Tough, stringy (in texture): Describes a physical texture, especially of food, that is unpleasantly tough, rubbery, or fibrous and hard to chew through.

2. Adverb:

   • In a dragging, prolonged, or endlessly drawn-out manner: Describes an action or situation that extends tediously and unnecessarily over time.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Món thịt này nấu không kĩ nên dai nhằng nhằng. (This meat is not cooked well, so it's tough and stringy.)
  • Anh ta là một kẻ theo đuổi nhằng nhằng, không chịu bỏ cuộc. (He is a persistent pursuer who refuses to give up.)

• Adverb:

  • Công việc ấy cứ kéo dài nhằng nhằng mãi không xong. (That task just drags on endlessly without being finished.)
  • Đừng có lải nhải nhằng nhằng về một chuyện cũ nữa. (Don't keep harping on tediously about an old matter.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used as a reduplicative form (từ láy) of "nhằng," intensifying the sense of annoyance, persistence, or tedious prolongation.
• Carries a negative connotation, implying irritation or frustration with the persistent state or action.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhằng (adj/adv): The root word, meaning persistent, tangled, or complicated. Less emphatic than "nhằng nhằng."
  • sợi dây nhằng (a tangled string)
• Nhằng nhịt (adj): Intricately tangled or complicated, often referring to lines, threads, or a complex situation.
  • đường dây điện chằng chịt nhằng nhịt (electrical wires tangled intricately)

Synonyms

• Dai dẳng (adj): Protracted, lingering, persistent (often for negative situations like illness or conflict).
• Lằng nhằng (adj/adv): Tediously long-winded, complicated, and annoying (often for speech or procedures).
• Dai (adj): Tough, persistent (can refer to texture or character).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Nhằng nhằng như đỉa phải vôi: (Simile) To be as persistently clinging as a leech encountering lime (which kills it). Means to be extremely and annoyingly persistent.
  • Nó cứ bám theo tôi nhằng nhằng như đỉa phải vôi. (He kept following me around, as persistent as a leech on lime.)

1. xem nhằng (láy)