vẽ vời
Definition
Verb:
- To embellish; to adorn: To add decorative details or make something appear more attractive or impressive than it is, often in an excessive or artificial way.
- To fabricate; to invent (stories, details): To create or add untrue or fanciful details to a story or account, making it more elaborate but less truthful.
Verb (figurative):
- To complicate unnecessarily: To make something more complex or intricate than needed by adding superfluous elements.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cô ấy thích vẽ vời thêm cho câu chuyện cổ tích. (She likes to embellish the fairy tale further.)
- Đừng vẽ vời sự thật, hãy kể chính xác những gì đã xảy ra. (Don't fabricate the truth; tell exactly what happened.)
- Công việc đơn giản, đừng vẽ vời cho nó phức tạp. (The task is simple; don't complicate it unnecessarily.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used with a negative connotation to criticize the act of adding unnecessary, false, or overly ornate elements.
- Commonly collocates with words for stories, explanations, plans, or appearances.
Variants and Related Words
- Vẽ (v): to draw, to paint. The core root meaning "to draw."
- Thêu dệt (v): to embroider; used similarly to mean "to embellish" or "to fabricate" a story.
Synonyms
- Embellish: To make more attractive by adding decorative details.
- Fabricate: To invent or concoct something, typically with deceitful intent.
- Gild: To embellish excessively.
- Complicate: To make something more difficult or complex.
Related Idioms
- Vẽ rồng vẽ phượng: Literally "to draw dragons and phoenixes"; means to embellish or glorify something extravagantly.
- Bài báo đó chỉ toàn vẽ rồng vẽ phượng về thành tích của công ty. (That article just extravagantly glorifies the company's achievements.)
- Vẽ chuyện: To make up a story; to fabricate a tale.
- Đứa trẻ hay vẽ chuyện để giải thích cho lỗi của mình. (The child often makes up stories to explain his mistakes.)