đoản hơi
Definition
- Adjective:
- Short of breath / breathless: Describes a state of being unable to breathe easily or deeply, often due to physical exertion, illness, or strong emotion. It implies a temporary or acute condition of respiratory difficulty.
- Lacking endurance / unsustainable: Used figuratively to describe something that cannot be maintained for long, such as an effort, plan, or trend that quickly loses momentum or strength.
Usage Examples
Adjective (literal):
- Leo vài bậc thang là tôi đã thấy đoản hơi. (Climbing just a few stairs makes me feel short of breath.)
- Bệnh nhân cảm thấy đoản hơi sau khi ho nhiều. (The patient felt breathless after coughing a lot.)
Adjective (figurative):
- Chiến dịch quảng cáo đó rất đoản hơi, chỉ nổi lên được vài tuần. (That advertising campaign was very short-lived; it only became popular for a few weeks.)
- Kế hoạch của họ thiếu nguồn lực nên chắc chắn sẽ đoản hơi. (Their plan lacks resources, so it will surely run out of steam.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in contrast with "trường hơi" (long-winded, having endurance). For example, a "cuộc chạy đua trường hơi" is a marathon or a long-term race, while something described as "đoản hơi" ends quickly.
Variants and Related Words
- Hụt hơi (adj): Another common term for being out of breath or gasping, often used interchangeably with the literal meaning of "đoản hơi."
- Trường hơi (adj): Having staying power, long-lasting, sustainable (the direct antonym in figurative use).
Synonyms
- Breathless: Lacking breath.
- Short-winded: Quickly becoming out of breath.
- Unsustainable: Not able to be maintained.
- Fleeting: Lasting for a very short time.
Related Idioms
- Đánh trống bỏ dùi: To start something with great fanfare but not follow through. This idiom shares the figurative sense of "đoản hơi" regarding unsustainable efforts.
- Đầu voi đuôi chuột: Literally "head of an elephant, tail of a mouse," meaning something starts grandly but ends poorly or insignificantly, similar to the figurative use of "đoản hơi."
