Definition

Adjective: 1. Budding; very young; in the earliest stage: Describes a child who is very young, newly born, or in the earliest, most tender stage of life, requiring care and protection. 2. Nascent; incipient; in its infancy: Can describe something (e.g., a talent, relationship, project) that is just beginning to form or develop, still fragile and not yet fully established.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Con phải dạy bảo trẻ từ khi còn trứng nước. (You must teach a child from when they are very young.)
  • Đứa bé trứng nước ấy cần được chăm sóc cẩn thận. (That budding infant needs careful nurturing.)
  • Tài năng của cậu ấy mới chỉ ở giai đoạn trứng nước. (His talent is still in its nascent stage.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used metaphorically beyond describing literal infants. It emphasizes fragility, newness, and the need for nurturing at the very beginning of any developmental process.
  • Mối quan hệ trứng nước của họ đã bị phá hủy bởi một hiểu lầm. (Their incipient relationship was destroyed by a misunderstanding.)
  • Dự án mới chỉ là ý tưởng trứng nước. (The project is still just a budding idea.)

Variants and Related Words

• Non nớt (adj): Immature, inexperienced, green. Often overlaps with "trứng nước" but can apply to older individuals who lack life experience.
• Sơ khai (adj): Initial, primitive, rudimentary. More formal and often used for stages of development (e.g., of civilization, technology), less for human age.

Synonyms

• Măng non: Literally "young bamboo shoot"; a poetic synonym for young children.
• Ấu thơ: Childhood; refers to the early childhood period.
• Ban đầu: Initial, beginning (more general, less evocative of fragility).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Còn trứng nước: The most common phrase, meaning "to still be very young/budding."
  • Nghề nghiệp của anh ấy còn trứng nước, cần nhiều thời gian phát triển. (His career is still in its infancy and needs more time to develop.)

adj

1. budding