thính tai
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having sharp hearing; having keen ears: The primary meaning describes a person or animal whose sense of hearing is exceptionally acute, allowing them to perceive faint or distant sounds clearly and quickly.
- Quick to hear or perceive (figurative): Used figuratively to describe someone who is very alert, perceptive, or quick to pick up on news, gossip, or subtle information.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Con mèo rất thính tai, nó nghe thấy tiếng chuột từ xa. (The cat has very sharp hearing; it hears the mouse from afar.)
- Ông ấy tuy già nhưng vẫn còn thính tai lắm. (He is old but still has very keen ears.)
- Dân làng đồn rằng bà ấy thính tai lắm, chuyện gì cũng biết. (The villagers say she is very quick to hear things; she knows everything.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used to compliment someone's auditory ability or, in its figurative sense, their attentiveness and awareness of their surroundings or community affairs.
Variants and Related Words
- Thính (adj): sharp (of senses like smell or hearing). Can stand alone to mean "acute" but often specifies the sense (thính mũi = sharp-nosed, thính tai = sharp-eared).
- Tai thính (adj phrase): an alternative word order with the same meaning (keen ears).
Synonyms
- Sharp-eared
- Keen of hearing
- Having acute hearing
- Perceptive (figurative)
Related Idioms
- Mắt tinh tai thính: Literally "sharp eyes and keen ears." Describes someone who is very observant and alert, noticing everything.
- Làm công an phải mắt tinh tai thính. (To be a police officer, you must have sharp eyes and keen ears.)