ê a
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Onomatopoeia / Verb:
- To drone / to chant in a drawn-out manner: The word "ê a" mimics the sound of reading, reciting, or chanting in a slow, monotonous, and drawn-out voice, often syllable by syllable. It evokes the sound of beginners learning to read or monks chanting scriptures.
Usage Examples
- Onomatopoeia / Verb:
- Các em nhỏ đang ê a đánh vần trong lớp. (The children are droning out syllables in class.)
- Tiếng ê a tụng kinh vang lên từ ngôi chùa. (The sound of chanting scriptures rose from the temple.)
Advanced Usage
- "ê a học bài": to drone/chant while studying.
- Tối nào cũng nghe thấy nó ê a học bài. (Every evening you can hear him droning over his lessons.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ê a is primarily used in its reduplicative form. Related descriptive words include lẩm nhẩm (to mumble) and đọc nhẩm (to read silently/under one's breath), though these lack the specific drawn-out, chanting quality of "ê a".
Synonyms
- To chant: to recite in a monotonous tone.
- To drone: to make a continuous low hum or monotonous sound.
- To intone: to say or recite with little variation in pitch.
Related Idioms
- Học ê a: to study by rote recitation.
- Thời đó, học sinh chủ yếu học ê a thuộc lòng. (In those days, students mainly learned by rote recitation.)
verb
- to read loudly and unceasingly