Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Sly; Artful: Describes a person, especially a child, who is clever in a deceitful or mischievous way, often using trickery to get what they want or to avoid trouble.
   • Cunning; Shrewd: Suggests a sharp, practical intelligence that is used in a clever, sometimes underhanded, manner.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa trẻ đó rất ranh ma. (That child is very sly.)
  • Nó có vẻ ngoài thật thà nhưng thực ra rất ranh ma. (He looks honest but is actually quite artful.)
  • Một con mèo ranh ma. (A cunning cat.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a slightly negative or disapproving connotation, implying a lack of honesty or straightforwardness. However, in some contexts, it can express a degree of amused admiration for cleverness.

Variants and Related Words

• Ranh mãnh (adj): A variant with a similar meaning, often emphasizing cleverness and sharp-wittedness.

  • Tên trộm tỏ ra rất ranh mãnh. (The thief proved to be very cunning.)

• Mưu mẹo (n): Refers to tricks or schemes, often used by someone who is ranh ma.

  • Hắn đầy mưu mẹo. (He is full of tricks.)

Synonyms

• Sly: Clever at deceiving people.
• Cunning: Skilled at achieving one's ends by deceit.
• Artful: Clever or skillful, typically in a crafty or cunning way.
• Shrewd: Having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute, can be less negative than .

Related Idioms

• Ranh ma vặt: Describes someone who is sly in small, petty matters.

  • Nó chỉ ranh ma vặt thôi, chẳng làm nên trò trống gì. (He's only artful in trivial things, not amounting to anything significant.)

• Khôn lỏi: A closely related term meaning street-smart or cunning in a practical, often unscrupulous, way.

  • Thương trường cần sự khôn lỏi. (The business world requires street smarts.)

adj

1. artful, sly