Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Bent, twisted, or crooked: Describes something that is not straight, often due to being warped, deformed, or curled, typically from age, pressure, or drying out.
   • Gnarled or contorted: Refers to limbs, branches, or objects that are twisted into an unnatural or awkward shape.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Những cành cây khô còng queo trong mùa đông. (The dry branches are gnarled in the winter.)
  • Ông cụ ngồi còng queo vì đau lưng. (The old man sat hunched over because of back pain.)
  • Tờ giấy bị ướt rồi khô nên còng queo hết. (The paper got wet and dried, so it became all warped.)

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively to describe posture or shape:
  • Sau một ngày làm việc mệt mỏi, tôi cảm thấy người còng queo. (After a tiring day of work, I feel all bent out of shape.)
• Describing something dried and curled:
  • Lá cây rụng xuống, khô còng queo trên mặt đất. (The leaves fell and lay dried and curled on the ground.)

Variants and Related Words

• Còng (adj): Can mean bent or crooked, often used for limbs or posture (e.g., - hunched back). It is a shorter, sometimes more severe form.
• Queo (adj): Means twisted or bent. It is often used in combination with for emphasis.
• Cong (adj): Means curved or bent in a more general, often less severe or more natural way (e.g., - a curved bow).

Synonyms

• Cong: Curved, bent.
• Vẹo: Crooked, askew.
• Quẹo: Bent, twisted (more common in Southern Vietnamese).
• Co quắp: Shrivelled, clenched (often for fingers or limbs due to cold or cramp).

Related Phrases

• Còng lưng: To have a hunched back.
  • Cụ già đã còng lưng vì tuổi tác. (The old woman has a hunched back due to age.)
• Khô queo: Dried and shrivelled.
  • Trái cây để lâu đã khô queo. (The fruit left for too long has dried up and shrivelled.)

Related Idioms

• Còng queo chân tay: Describes limbs that are stiff, numb, or cramped.
  • Ngồi xếp bằng lâu, tôi thấy còng queo chân tay. (Sitting cross-legged for a long time, my limbs feel stiff and numb.)
• Nói còng queo: To speak in a convoluted, indirect, or dishonest way. (Note: This is a compound phrase using the target word for figurative effect.)
  • Đừng nói còng queo nữa, hãy đi thẳng vào vấn đề. (Stop beating around the bush, get straight to the point.)