trật trưỡng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Unsteady / Wobbly: Describes a physical object that is not firmly positioned or balanced, making it unstable or shaky.
- Unreliable / Capricious: Describes a person's temperament, mood, or behavior that is inconsistent, changeable, and not dependable.
Usage Examples
Adjective (Physical):
- Chiếc ghế này trật trưỡng. (This chair is wobbly.)
- Cái bàn kê trật trưỡng. (The table is placed unsteadily.)
Adjective (Character):
- Tính nó trật trưỡng, lúc thế này lúc thế khác. (His temperament is capricious, one way one moment and another the next.)
- Anh ta có tính khí trật trưỡng, không tin được. (He has an unreliable character; he cannot be trusted.)
Advanced Usage
- The word can be reduplicated for emphasis as "trật trà trật trưỡng", intensifying the meaning of being extremely unsteady or unreliable.
- Công việc tiến hành một cách trật trà trật trưỡng. (The work is progressing in a very unstable/chaotic manner.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chật chưỡng: An alternate spelling or form with the same meaning (unstable, wobbly).
- Con đường chật chưỡng khó đi. (The unstable road is hard to travel on.)
Synonyms
- Unstable: Not firm or steady.
- Wobbly: Tending to move unsteadily from side to side.
- Capricious: Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
- Unreliable: Not able to be relied upon.
Related Idioms
- While not a fixed idiom, the descriptive phrase "tính tình trật trưỡng" is commonly used to label someone as having a fickle or erratic personality.