Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Pale, pallid, wan: Describes a color, especially of the face or complexion, that is unnaturally light, lacking healthy color or intensity, often due to illness, fatigue, or fear.
   • Faded, washed-out: Describes something that has lost its original vividness or brightness, becoming faint or dull.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận ốm, mặt cô ấy trông bờn bợt. (After the illness, her face looked pale.)
  • Màu sơn trên tường đã phai thành một màu bờn bợt. (The paint on the wall has faded to a washed-out color.)
  • Nghe tin dữ, sắc mặt anh ta tái đi, bờn bợt như vôi. (Upon hearing the bad news, his complexion turned ashen, deathly pale.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in descriptive writing, especially in literature or poetry, to evoke a vivid image of weakness, sickness, or lack of vitality.
  • Nụ cười bờn bợt trên môi người bệnh. (A wan smile on the lips of the sick person.)
• Can be used metaphorically to describe something lacking strength, vigor, or conviction.
  • Một lời biện minh bờn bợt. (A feeble excuse.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bợt (adj): A shorter, less common variant with the same core meaning of pale or faded. "Bờn bợt" is the more frequently used reduplicative form.
• Tái (adj): Pale, ashen (often specifically from shock or fear). More sudden and intense than "bờn bợt".
• Xanh xao (adj): Pale and sickly, often with a greenish or bluish tint.
• Nhợt nhạt (adj): Pale, pallid; a very close synonym to "bờn bợt".

Synonyms

• Nhợt nhạt: Pallid, pale.
• Xanh xao: Wan, sickly pale.
• Tái mét: Ashen, ghastly pale.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• Mặt mày bờn bợt: To have a pale face (indicating poor health or fright).
  • Sợ quá, nó đứng hình với mặt mày bờn bợt. (So scared, he froze with a pale face.)
• Bờn bợt như ma: As pale as a ghost.
  • Cô ta hiện ra trong bóng tối, bờn bợt như ma. (She appeared in the darkness, as pale as a ghost.)

1. Palish