Definition

1. Verb:
   • To avoid, to dodge, to evade: The primary meaning of "né tránh" is to deliberately stay away from or prevent a confrontation with someone, something, or an issue. It implies a conscious effort to steer clear.
   • To shirk, to sidestep: It can also mean to avoid a responsibility, duty, or difficult task.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy luôn né tránh tôi kể từ sau cuộc cãi vã. (He has always been avoiding me since the argument.)
  • Công ty này thường né tránh trả lời các câu hỏi trực tiếp. (This company often avoids answering direct questions.)
  • Đừng né tránh trách nhiệm của mình. (Don't shirk your responsibility.)

Advanced Usage

• "né tránh một cú đấm": to dodge a punch.
  • Võ sĩ khéo léo né tránh cú đấm của đối thủ. (The boxer skillfully dodged his opponent's punch.)
• "né tránh ánh mắt": to avoid eye contact.
  • Cô ấy né tránh ánh mắt của tôi, có vẻ như đang giấu điều gì đó. (She avoided my eye contact, seeming to hide something.)

Variants and Related Words

• Né (verb): to dodge (a physical object). Often used in combination.
  • Né đạn (to dodge bullets).
• Tránh (verb): to avoid. Can be used synonymously in many contexts but is sometimes less intense.
  • Tránh xa nguy hiểm (to stay away from danger).
• Lảng tránh (verb): to evade, to dodge (often conversation or an issue). Very close in meaning.
  • Lảng tránh câu hỏi (to evade a question).

Synonyms

• Trốn tránh: to evade, to shirk (often with a stronger connotation of escaping duty).
• Lẩn tránh: to dodge, to slip away (from a situation or person).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Né tránh khó khăn: to avoid/sidestep difficulties.
  • Một nhà lãnh đạo giỏi không nên né tránh khó khăn. (A good leader should not avoid difficulties.)
• Né tránh đối đầu: to avoid a confrontation/conflict.
  • Cả hai bên đều muốn né tránh đối đầu trực tiếp. (Both sides want to avoid a direct confrontation.)

Related Idioms

• Né như né tên: to dodge like dodging an arrow. (Meaning: to dodge very quickly and skillfully).
  • Nghe thấy tiếng mẹ gọi về việc nhà, nó né như né tên. (Hearing his mother call about housework, he dodged it like an arrow.)
• Tránh voi chẳng xấu mặt nào: (Equivalent to "Discretion is the better part of valor"). Avoiding a powerful opponent/issue is not shameful. This idiom shares the concept of avoidance in "né tránh".
  • Đối thủ quá mạnh, né tránh cũng là chiến thuật, tránh voi chẳng xấu mặt nào. (The opponent is too strong, avoiding is also a tactic; there's no shame in avoiding an elephant.)

verb

1. to avoid