vụng trộm
Definition
Adverb:
- Secretly; furtively; stealthily: Describes an action done in a concealed or hidden manner to avoid being seen or noticed, often implying a sense of shame, guilt, or impropriety.
Adjective (attributive use):
- Secret; clandestine; furtive: Used to describe an action or activity that is characterized by being done in a hidden or sneaky way.
Usage Examples
Adverb:
- Họ gặp nhau một cách vụng trộm. (They met secretly.)
- Đứa trẻ lấy kẹo vụng trộm. (The child took the candy furtively.)
Adjective (attributive):
- Đó là một cuộc hẹn hò vụng trộm. (That was a secret rendezvous.)
- Những hành động vụng trộm thường bị phát hiện. (Clandestine actions are often discovered.)
Advanced Usage
- The word strongly conveys not just secrecy, but often a clumsy, awkward, or unskilled attempt at hiding something, adding a nuance of inept stealth.
- Nó cố gắng mở cửa một cách vụng trộm nhưng lại làm rơi chìa khóa. (He tried to open the door stealthily but dropped the keys.)
Variants and Related Words
- Vụng (adj): clumsy, awkward. This is the root word, and when combined with "trộm" (theft, stealth), it creates the meaning of "clumsily stealthy" or "awkwardly secret."
- Trộm (n/v): thief / to steal. This component reinforces the secretive, stealing-like nature of the action.
Synonyms
- Secretly: in a secret manner.
- Furtively: in a way that attempts to avoid notice due to guilt.
- Stealthily: in a cautious and surreptitious manner.
- Clandestinely: in a secret and illicit way.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Lén lút vụng trộm: An intensified phrase meaning "sneakily and furtively," emphasizing the covert and guilty nature of an action.
- Chúng làm việc đó một cách lén lút vụng trộm. (They did it in a sneaky and furtive way.)