ốm yếu
Definition
- Adjective:
- Feeble; thin and weak: Describes a person or living being who is physically frail, lacking in strength and vitality, often due to illness, age, or poor health. It combines the ideas of being thin ("ốm") and weak ("yếu").
- Sickly; in poor health: Indicates a general state of being unwell or prone to illness.
- Weak; unsound (figurative): Used metaphorically to describe an organization, system, or structure that is fragile, unstable, or not functioning robustly.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm, cậu bé trông rất ốm yếu. (After the illness, the boy looked very feeble.)
- Ngành công nghiệp địa phương còn ốm yếu. (The local industry is still weak.)
- Bà cụ ốm yếu không thể ra ngoài một mình. (The frail old woman cannot go out alone.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used to describe a chronic or inherent state of weakness, rather than a temporary condition. It implies a vulnerability that affects one's ability to function normally.
Variants and Related Words
Đau ốm (adj/phrase): sick, ill. Refers more specifically to being afflicted by sickness.
- Ông ấy thường xuyên đau ốm. (He is frequently ill.)
Yếu ớt (adj): weak, feeble. A close synonym that emphasizes lack of strength but not necessarily thinness.
- Tiếng nói yếu ớt. (A feeble voice.)
Synonyms
- Feeble: lacking physical strength, especially due to age or illness.
- Frail: weak and delicate.
- Sickly: often ill; in poor health.
- Weak: lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks.
Related Idioms
- Ốm yếu luôn: constantly ailing. Used to describe someone who is perpetually in poor health.
- Tuổi già, ốm yếu luôn. (In old age, one is constantly ailing.)
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feeble; thin and weak
