Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To speak hesitantly; to trail off: To speak in a way that is incomplete or deliberately leaves a sentence unfinished, often implying something without stating it directly. It can indicate hesitation, reluctance, embarrassment, or a deliberate attempt to hint at a meaning for the listener to infer.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Khi được hỏi về kết quả, cô ấy chỉ nói lửng vài câu rồi im bặt. (When asked about the result, she only spoke hesitantly for a few sentences and then fell silent.)
  • Anh ấy nói lửng: "Nếu như mà... thôi, không có gì." (He trailed off: "If only... never mind, it's nothing.")
  • Đừng nói lửng như vậy, hãy nói hết ý của anh ra. (Don't speak in such a hesitant/evasive way; say what you mean completely.)

Advanced Usage

• Strategic hesitation: In conversation or narrative, "nói lửng" can be a rhetorical device to create suspense, express unspoken criticism, or convey complex emotions like regret or doubt without explicit words.
  • Nhân vật chính thường nói lửng, để lại nhiều khoảng trống cho người đọc suy ngẫm. (The main character often speaks with deliberate pauses, leaving many gaps for the reader to ponder.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nói lưỡng (verb phrase): A less common variant with the same meaning as "nói lửng."
• Ngập ngừng (verb): to hesitate, to falter (specifically in speech or action).
• Ừm ờ (verb): to hem and haw, to speak in a non-committal or evasive manner.

Synonyms

• To trail off: To have one's voice become quieter and less clear until it stops, often because of uncertainty.
• To speak hesitantly: To talk with pauses or reluctance.
• To leave (something) hanging: To not complete a statement, leaving an idea implied.
• To be reticent: To be reserved and unwilling to speak freely.

Related Idioms

• Nói nửa chừng: To stop speaking halfway; to leave a sentence unfinished.
  • Câu chuyện của ông ấy cứ nói nửa chừng rồi thôi. (His story keeps stopping halfway.)
• Ngậm hột thị: (Literally: to hold a persimmon seed in the mouth) To be unable to speak one's mind; to be forced to remain silent about something.
  • Biết sự thật nhưng anh ta đành ngậm hột thị, không dám nói ra. (Knowing the truth, he had to hold his tongue and dared not speak out.)

1. nh nói lưỡng