tráo mắt
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To stare brazenly / to gawk: To look at someone or something with wide, fixed, and often impudent or shameless eyes. It implies a lack of respect, discretion, or subtlety in one's gaze.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Nó cứ tráo mắt nhìn vào màn hình điện thoại của người khác. (He just kept brazenly staring at someone else's phone screen.)
- Đừng có tráo mắt nhìn người ta như thế! (Don't gawk at people like that!)
- Bọn trẻ tráo mắt nhìn các món đồ chơi trong cửa hàng. (The children stared wide-eyed at the toys in the shop.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a negative connotation, suggesting rudeness, insolence, or an inappropriate intensity in looking. It is typically used in reprimands or to describe socially unacceptable staring.
Variants and Related Words
- Trố mắt (verb phrase): to stare with eyes wide open in surprise or astonishment.
- Cô ấy trố mắt ra vì kinh ngạc. (She stared in astonishment.)
Synonyms
- To gawk: to stare openly and stupidly.
- To ogle: to stare at in a lecherous manner.
- To stare brazenly: to look fixedly with shameless boldness.
Related Idioms
- While "tráo mắt" itself is a set phrase, it relates to the concept of improper looking. A related expression is:
- Mắt tráo trơ: having brazen, shameless eyes (describing a person's characteristic).
- Thằng bé có đôi mắt tráo trơ. (The boy has a pair of brazen, shameless eyes.)