nói bóng
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To speak indirectly / to hint: To express an idea or meaning using words that are not direct or explicit, but clear enough for the listener to understand the implied message that the speaker does not want or cannot state outright.
- To insinuate: To suggest or hint at something in an indirect and often unpleasant way.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Anh ta chỉ nói bóng về vấn đề đó chứ không đề cập trực tiếp. (He only hinted at that issue; he didn't mention it directly.)
- Đừng nói bóng nói gió nữa, hãy nói thẳng điều anh muốn. (Stop speaking in hints; just say what you want directly.)
- Bài báo đó nói bóng gió về một vụ bê bối. (That article insinuated a scandal.)
Advanced Usage
- "nói bóng nói gió": This is a common, fixed four-word idiom that intensifies the meaning of "nói bóng." It means to speak entirely in hints and implications, often in a vague or rambling way.
- Cô ấy cứ nói bóng nói gió mãi, khiến tôi rất khó chịu. (She kept speaking in vague hints, which annoyed me greatly.)
Variants and Related Words
Nói gần nói xa (verb phrase): A synonym meaning to talk around a subject, to beat around the bush.
- Anh ấy nói gần nói xa cả buổi mà chưa vào vấn đề chính. (He beat around the bush all afternoon without getting to the main point.)
Ám chỉ (verb): to allude to, to imply.
- Lời nói của cô ấy ám chỉ một sự thật khó chấp nhận. (Her words alluded to a hard truth.)
Synonyms
- To hint: To suggest something indirectly.
- To imply: To strongly suggest something without explicitly stating it.
- To insinuate: To suggest something negative in an indirect way.
- To speak in riddles: To talk in a confusing and ambiguous manner.
Related Idioms
- Nói bóng nói gió: As detailed above, this is the primary idiom, meaning to speak entirely through hints and implications.
- Nửa úp nửa mở: Literally "half-covered, half-open," meaning to be ambiguous or non-committal in speech.
- Câu trả lời nửa úp nửa mở của anh ấy chẳng giải quyết được gì. (His ambiguous answer solved nothing.)
- Speak by hints, drop hints
- Nói bóng nói gió như nói bóng