Definition

Phải đúa (slang) 1. To have taken a leaf from the book of someone, to walk in the shoes of someone: To have imitated or adopted the (typically negative) behavior, habits, or characteristics of another person. It implies learning or copying from someone's example, often in a mocking or critical tone.

Usage

This is a colloquial and somewhat humorous Vietnamese slang term. It is used to comment on someone who is clearly mimicking another person's ways, especially their bad habits or peculiar traits. * It functions as a verb phrase. * The structure is: Subject + phải đúa + (object) + descriptive clause. * The object (the person being imitated) is often introduced or referenced in the following clause that describes the mimicked behavior.

Usage Examples

• Phải đúa anh nói khoác. (To have taken a leaf from the book of a braggart. / He's clearly learned from a braggart.)
• Cái tật hay cười của nó là phải đúa bà chị. (His habit of laughing all the time is something he got from his older sister. / He's walking in the shoes of his older sister with that constant laughter.)
• Nó ăn nói chua ngoa thế là phải đúa mẹ nó rồi. (Her sharp tongue means she's taken after her mother. / She has taken a leaf from her mother's book with that sharp tongue.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

The term carries a connotation of unconscious or inevitable mimicry, as if the person has "caught" the habit from someone else through close association. It is rarely used for positive imitation.

Variants and Related Words

• Bắt chước (v): To imitate, to copy. (Neutral term, more common and standard than ).
• Học đòi (v): To copy, to ape (often used negatively for superficial imitation).
• Theo gương (v): To follow someone's example (can be positive or negative).

Synonyms

• To take after someone.
• To be a chip off the old block (idiom, usually for family traits).
• To have learned from the best/worst (ironic).

Related Idioms / Expressions

• Cha nào con nấy: Like father, like son. (Highlights inherited traits or behaviors).
• Gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng: Near ink, you get black; near a light, you become bright. (Proverb about the influence of one's environment and company, which relates to the concept of ).

1. (thông tục) Have taken a leaf from the book of, walk in the shoes of
   • Phải đũa anh nói khoác
     To have taken a leaf from the book of a braggart