ranh mãnh
Definition
- Adjective:
- Sly, cunning: Describes someone, often a child, who is clever in a deceitful or trickish way, using intelligence to achieve their goals through subtle deception.
- Mischievous, roguish: Suggests a playful, naughty, or teasing cleverness that is not necessarily malicious but is full of spirited trickery.
- Keen, shrewd: Implies a sharp, perceptive, and quick-witted nature, often with a hint of impertinence.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ đó rất ranh mãnh, luôn nghĩ ra các trò tinh quái. (That child is very sly, always thinking up mischievous tricks.)
- Nó trả lời với một nụ cười ranh mãnh. (He answered with a roguish smile.)
- Con mèo có vẻ ngoài ranh mãnh và tò mò. (The cat has a shrewd and curious appearance.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a tone of mixed annoyance and admiration for the subject's cleverness. It is frequently used to describe the knowing, impish behavior of children or young animals.
- It can describe not just a person but also their features (e.g., a smile, look, or glint in the eyes), implying a hidden, knowing, or teasing thought.
Variants and Related Words
- Ranh (adj): Often used similarly to but can be shorter and more colloquial, sometimes implying being "smart-alecky" or precocious.
- Thằng bé ranh quá! (That boy is too cheeky/smart!)
- Mãnh (adj): By itself, this component suggests fierceness or intensity, but in , it combines with to amplify the sense of sharp cleverness.
Synonyms
- Sly: Acting with cunning secrecy.
- Mischievous: Playfully causing minor trouble.
- Shrewd: Having sharp powers of judgment.
- Roguish: Playfully mischievous.
- Crafty: Skilled at deception.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Ranh như cáy: As sly as a crab (a type of small, quick crab). This idiom emphasizes extreme cunning and evasiveness.
- Tên trộm ranh như cáy, cảnh sát khó bắt lắm. (The thief is as sly as a crab, the police find it very hard to catch him.)
- Cái nhìn ranh mãnh: A sly/roguish look.
- Trí ranh mãnh: Cunning intelligence.
adj
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mischievous, sly
