Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Needy, poor, experiencing hardship: "đói khó" describes a state of poverty, lack, or significant material deprivation, often involving hunger and basic needs.
   • In difficult circumstances, struggling: It can also refer to being in a generally difficult or impoverished situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Gia đình họ đang rất đói khó. (Their family is very needy/poor.)
  • Chương trình này nhằm giúp đỡ những người đói khó. (This program aims to help the necessitous.)
  • Sau trận lũ, nhiều người dân rơi vào cảnh đói khó. (After the flood, many people fell into hardship.)

Advanced Usage

• "cảnh đói khó": a state of poverty/destitution.

  • Anh ấy đã trải qua cảnh đói khó thời thơ ấu. (He experienced destitution in his childhood.)

• "nghèo đói khó khăn": a common collocation emphasizing poverty and difficulty.

  • Vùng này còn nhiều hộ nghèo đói khó khăn. (This area still has many impoverished and struggling households.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đói kém (adj): A near-synonym often referring to famine or crop failure leading to hunger.

  • Năm ấy trời làm đói kém. (That year, the weather caused famine.)

• Khó khăn (adj): Difficult, hard. While related, "khó khăn" is broader and does not inherently imply poverty or hunger like "đói khó".

  • Công việc gặp nhiều khó khăn. (The work encountered many difficulties.)

Synonyms

• Nghèo khó: Poor, impoverished.
• Túng thiếu: In need, lacking necessities.
• Bần cùng: Destitute, in extreme poverty (stronger connotation).

Notes on Usage

• Formality: "Đói khó" is a standard, descriptive term. It is more formal and literary than some colloquial terms for poverty.
• Connotation: The word carries a strong connotation of suffering due to a lack of basic necessities, especially food ("đói" means hungry). It often evokes empathy.
• Context: It is typically used to describe people, families, or communities in a state of sustained poverty and need, not a temporary minor inconvenience.

1. Needy, necessitous