bí quẫn
Definitions
- Adjective:
- Financially desperate, in dire straits: Describes a state of extreme financial difficulty, lacking resources and facing hardship.
- Destitute, impoverished: Refers to being reduced to poverty or misery, often implying a sudden or severe downturn in circumstances.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Gia đình anh ấy đang rơi vào cảnh bí quẫn sau trận dịch. (His family has fallen into a state of destitution after the epidemic.)
- Công ty đối mặt với nguy cơ phá sản và đang thực sự bí quẫn. (The company faces bankruptcy and is truly in dire financial straits.)
Advanced Usage
"rơi vào cảnh bí quẫn": to fall into destitution.
- Sau một loạt quyết định sai lầm, ông ta đã rơi vào cảnh bí quẫn. (After a series of wrong decisions, he fell into destitution.)
"bí quẫn túng thiếu": extremely hard up and lacking necessities. This is a reinforcing phrase.
- Những người dân ở vùng hẻo lánh sống trong cảnh bí quẫn túng thiếu. (The people in the remote area live in extreme poverty and deprivation.)
Variants and Related Words
Bí (adj): stuck, in a fix, lacking a solution (often used in a broader sense than just financial).
- Tôi đang bí ý tưởng. (I'm stuck for ideas.)
Quẫn (adj): distressed, desperate, cornered (often used in a mental/emotional or situational sense).
- Anh ta cảm thấy quẫn trí vì áp lực. (He felt mentally distressed due to the pressure.)
Synonyms
- Túng quẫn: destitute, in extreme poverty (a very close synonym, often used interchangeably).
- Khốn cùng: utterly miserable, in extreme distress.
- Bần cùng: impoverished, pauperized.
Notes on Meaning
- "Bí quẫn" typically describes a severe and often acute state of financial hardship. It conveys a sense of being trapped with no way out due to a lack of money or resources.
- While the core meaning is financial, the state often leads to or includes mental distress and desperation, as implied by the component "quẫn".