Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To die of thirst: The literal meaning of "chết khát" is to perish from a severe lack of water or fluids.
   • To be extremely thirsty / to be parched: In a hyperbolic or figurative sense, it describes the state of suffering from intense thirst.

Usage Examples

• Literal:
  • Những người lạc trong sa mạc có thể chết khát. (People lost in the desert can die of thirst.)
• Figurative / Hyperbolic:
  • Đi bộ dưới nắng cả tiếng, tôi chết khát rồi. (After walking in the sun for an hour, I am parched.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to emphasize a desperate need or desire for something non-liquid, similar to the English "dying for."
  • Tôi chết khát một tin tốt lành. (I am dying for some good news.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khát (adj): thirsty.
  • Đứa trẻ khát nước. (The child is thirsty for water.)
• Khát nước (verb phrase): to be thirsty (for water).
  • Tôi đang khát nước. (I am thirsty.)

Synonyms

• Perish from thirst: to die due to lack of water.
• Be parched: to be extremely dry and thirsty.
• Be dehydrated: to suffer from a lack of bodily fluids.

Related Idioms

• Chết đói: to die of hunger. Often used in parallel with "chết khát" to describe extreme deprivation.
  • Trong nạn đói, nhiều người chết đói hơn là chết khát. (During the famine, more people died of hunger than of thirst.)