tinh nghịch
Definition
- Adjective:
- Mischievous: Describes a person, especially a child, who is playfully naughty or enjoys causing minor trouble in a clever, amusing, and not malicious way.
- Puckish: Suggests a playful, impish, or elfish quality in someone's behavior.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cậu bé đó rất tinh nghịch, luôn nghĩ ra những trò chơi khăm. (That boy is very mischievous, always thinking up pranks.)
- Ánh mắt tinh nghịch của đứa trẻ khiến mọi người không thể giận nổi. (The child's puckish look made it impossible for anyone to stay angry.)
- Bọn trẻ tinh nghịch đã giấu giày của cô giáo. (The mischievous children hid the teacher's shoes.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a tone of affectionate annoyance or endearment, implying the behavior is clever and spirited rather than simply badly behaved.
- It can be used to describe animals, particularly pets, whose playful antics show intelligence.
Variants and Related Words
- Nghịch ngợm (adj): Naughty, playful. This is a close synonym but may sometimes imply slightly less cleverness or impishness than .
- Tinh quái (adj): Cunning, sly, crafty. This word has a stronger negative connotation of deceitfulness, unlike the more playful .
Synonyms
- Mischievous: Inclined to playful misbehavior.
- Puckish: Playfully mischievous.
- Impish: Characteristic of an imp; mischievous.
- Playfully naughty: Naughty in a fun, harmless way.
Related Idioms
- While itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, behavior described by it is central to phrases like:
- Tinh nghịch như quỷ sứ: Mischievous as a devil (emphasizing extreme, clever mischief).
- Thằng bé ấy tinh nghịch như quỷ sứ. (That boy is as mischievous as a devil.)