èo ẽo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Whining; complaining in a feeble, nasal, or irritatingly persistent tone: Describes a high-pitched, weak, and annoying manner of speaking, often associated with constant petty complaints or nagging.
- Fretful; peevish: Characterized by or expressing slight but persistent annoyance.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ nói èo ẽo khi mệt mỏi. (The child whines feebly when tired.)
- Cô ấy phàn nàn èo ẽo cả buổi sáng. (She complained in a whining tone all morning.)
- Giọng èo ẽo đó thật khó chịu. (That whining voice is really irritating.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used to describe not just the sound but the irritating, weak-willed, or overly delicate attitude perceived in the speaker's manner.
Variants and Related Words
- Èo ọt (adj): An intensified variant, describing an even more exaggerated, plaintive, and irritating whining sound or manner.
Synonyms
- Whining: Complaining in a feeble or petulant way.
- Peevish: Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.
- Fretful: Being unable to relax; irritable and complaining.
- Nasal: Speaking in a voice characterized by sound emitted through the nose (often implied in the tone described by ).
Related Idioms
- Nói èo ẽo như đỉa phải vôi: To whine or protest frantically and helplessly (like a leech hit with lime). This idiom vividly describes a state of agitated, desperate, but ineffective complaint.
- Nghe nó than vãn, cứ như đỉa phải vôi. (Listening to him complain is like hearing a leech hit with lime.)