nhằng nhẵng
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Indefinitely dragged out / interminably prolonged: Describes a task, process, or situation that is tediously extended without a clear end in sight, often causing annoyance or frustration due to its lingering nature.
- Persistently clinging / hanging on obstinately: Describes a person, typically a child, who sticks very closely and persistently to someone (like a parent), refusing to leave them alone or let go.
Usage Examples
Adjective (Dragged out):
- Công việc nhằng nhẵng mãi không xong. (The job is dragged out indefinitely, never finishing.)
- Vụ kiện đó cứ nhằng nhẵng suốt mấy năm trời. (That lawsuit just dragged on interminably for years.)
Adjective (Persistently clinging):
- Thằng bé theo mẹ nhằng nhẵng cả ngày. (The little boy hangs on to his mother obstinately all day.)
- Đứa trẻ nhằng nhẵng bám lấy chân bố nó. (The child clung persistently to his father's leg.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a negative connotation of nuisance or tiresomeness, whether referring to an endless task or to bothersome, clingy behavior.
- It is primarily used in spoken or informal written Vietnamese to emphasize the tedious or annoying aspect of the prolongation or attachment.
Variants and Related Words
- Nhằng nhịt (adj): Can be used similarly to describe something tangled, messy, or complicated and drawn-out, often overlapping in meaning with "nhằng nhẵng" in the context of protracted affairs.
Synonyms
- Dragged out: prolonged, interminable, never-ending.
- Clinging: persistent, obstinate, sticking like a leech.
Related Idioms
- While "nhằng nhẵng" itself is descriptive, it is used in contexts similar to the idiom "bám như đỉa" (to cling like a leech), which describes extremely persistent, unwanted attachment.
- Drag out indefinitely
- Công việc nhằng nhẵngAn indefinitely dragged out job
- Hang on to (somebody)
- Thằng bé theo mẹ nhằng nhẵngThe little boy hangs on to his mohter