thì thà thì thụt
Definition
Adjective:
- Hesitant, indecisive, or vacillating: Describes a person's character or behavior as being irresolute, unable to make a firm decision, or constantly changing one's mind.
- Shilly-shallying, dilly-dallying: Conveys a sense of wasting time through hesitation and a lack of decisive action.
Adverb:
- In a hesitant or indecisive manner: Describes an action performed with uncertainty, wavering, or a lack of commitment.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Tính cách anh ấy thì thà thì thụt, không bao giờ dám quyết định việc gì. (His character is hesitant; he never dares to decide anything.)
- Đừng có thì thà thì thụt nữa, phải chọn ngay đi! (Stop being so indecisive; you must choose right now!)
Adverb:
- Cô ấy trả lời thì thà thì thụt khi bị hỏi về kế hoạch. (She answered in a hesitant manner when asked about the plan.)
- Họ tiến hành công việc một cách thì thà thì thụt, nên chẳng có tiến triển. (They carried out the work in a dilly-dallying way, so there was no progress.)
Advanced Usage
- This is a reduplicative compound (từ láy) formed from the base "thì thụt." The repetition and alteration ("thì thà") intensify the meaning of hesitation and indecision. It is primarily used in spoken or informal Vietnamese to criticize a lack of resolve.
Variants and Related Words
- Thì thụt (adj, adv): The base form, also meaning hesitant or indecisive. "Thì thà thì thụt" is a more emphatic version.
- Anh ta cứ thì thụt mãi không chịu ký hợp đồng. (He kept hesitating and refused to sign the contract.)
Synonyms
- Do dự: to hesitate, to be hesitant.
- Lưỡng lự: to be indecisive, to waver.
- Chần chừ: to delay, to procrastinate (due to hesitation).
Related Idioms
- Đầu voi đuôi chuột: Literally "an elephant's head with a mouse's tail," meaning something that starts impressively but ends poorly, often due to a lack of sustained, decisive effort—a potential result of a "thì thà thì thụt" approach.
- Dự án đầu voi đuôi chuột vì cách làm thì thà thì thụt của đội ngũ. (The project was anticlimactic because of the team's shilly-shallying way of working.)