Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hungry: The primary meaning of "đói lòng" is the physical sensation of needing or wanting to eat food; the state of having an empty stomach and a desire for nourishment.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Trẻ con thường đói lòng sau giờ tan học. (Children are often hungry after school.)
  • Tôi cảm thấy đói lòng vì bỏ bữa trưa. (I feel hungry because I skipped lunch.)

Advanced Usage

• While "đói lòng" directly describes physical hunger, it can sometimes be used in a more poetic or emotional context to imply a strong longing or craving for something non-physical, such as love or knowledge. This usage is less common.
  • Cô ấy đói lòng sự công nhận. (She hungers for recognition.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đói bụng (adj): This is a more common and colloquial synonym for "đói lòng," also meaning "hungry." It directly references the stomach.

  • Chúng tôi đói bụng sau chuyến đi dài. (We were hungry after the long trip.)

• Đói (adj): The root word meaning "hungry" or "famine." It can stand alone and is often used interchangeably with "đói lòng."

  • Hàng nghìn người đang đói. (Thousands of people are hungry.)

Synonyms

• Hungry: Having a desire or need for food.
• Famished: Extremely hungry (stronger intensity).
• Peckish: Slightly hungry (informal, milder intensity).

Related Idioms

• Đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm: A proverb meaning "Better to go hungry cleanly than to be full dishonorably" or "Poverty is no disgrace." It emphasizes maintaining dignity and integrity even in hardship.
  • Dù nghèo nhưng ông ấy sống đúng câu "đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm". (Although poor, he lives by the principle "better to go hungry cleanly.")