bệch bạch
Definition
- Adjective:
- Pale, pallid, wan: Describes a complexion or appearance that is unusually pale, often lacking healthy color, sometimes with a suggestion of being washed-out or sickly.
- Dull, lusterless: Can describe something that appears faded, lacking brightness or vibrancy.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm, mặt anh ấy trông bệch bạch. (After the illness, his face looked pale.)
- Màu sơn trên tường đã phai thành một màu bệch bạch. (The paint on the wall has faded to a dull, washed-out color.)
- Làn da bệch bạch của cô ấy khiến mọi người lo lắng. (Her wan complexion made people worried.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in descriptive writing to evoke a visual image of unhealthy paleness or faded appearance. It can carry a slightly negative connotation, implying a lack of vitality or health.
- Ánh đèn đường chiếu xuống khuôn mặt bệch bạch của người đàn ông lạ. (The streetlight shone down on the ghostly pale face of the stranger.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bạc (adj): While often meaning "silver" or "gray (hair)", in some contexts related to color, it can imply paleness or fading, but is less specific than "bệch bạch".
- Tái (adj): Pale, ashen (often from shock or fear). "Tái" usually describes a sudden change in complexion due to an emotion, while "bệch bạch" describes a more general or chronic state of paleness.
- Xanh xao (adj): Pale and sickly, often with a greenish or sallow tint. "Xanh xao" strongly implies sickness, whereas "bệch bạch" can describe paleness from various causes.
Synonyms
- Tái nhợt: Pale, pallid.
- Xanh xao: Pale, wan, sickly-looking.
- Nhợt nhạt: Pale, faint (in color).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Mặt mày bệch bạch: A phrase emphasizing a very pale face.
- Nghe tin dữ, mặt anh ta bệch bạch. (Upon hearing the bad news, his face turned deathly pale.)