chũi

Ông lão mặc chiếc áo chũi ngồi đan rổ.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Patched, mended, darned (of clothing): Describes fabric or clothing that has been repaired with patches or stitches, often repeatedly, indicating poverty or extensive wear.
   • Shabby, worn-out: Can describe something in poor condition due to long use and inadequate repair.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Chiếc quần chũi của ông ấy đã sờn hết cả gối. (His patched trousers were worn thin at the knees.)
  • Bà cụ mặc một cái áo chũi vá đi vá lại. (The old woman wore a shabby, repeatedly mended shirt.)
  • "Chồng người xe ngựa người yêu, Chồng em khố chũi em chiều em thương." (Others love their husbands with horse-drawn carriages; I cherish mine in his patched loincloth.)

Advanced Usage

• The word 'chũi' is now considered literary, archaic, or dialectal in modern Vietnamese. It is rarely used in everyday conversation today.
• It most commonly appears in classical poetry, folk songs (), or proverbs to evoke imagery of poverty, frugality, or deep, unconditional affection that overlooks material lack.

Variants and Related Words

• Chuột chũi (noun): Mole (the animal). This is a distinct compound word. The adjective 'chũi' in the sense of "patched" is etymologically separate from this term.
• Vá chũi (verb phrase): To mend or patch (clothing) crudely or repeatedly.
• Chắp vá (verb): To patch up, to mend. This is a more common modern synonym for the action.

Synonyms

• Vá víu: Patched, mended.
• Tả tơi: Tattered, ragged.
• Cũ kỹ: Old, worn-out.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary and almost exclusive meaning of the isolated word 'chũi' is the adjective describing patched/worn clothing. Its use in the compound 'chuột chũi' (mole) does not apply to the standalone word 'chũi'.
• The reference to being "rapiécé; rapetassé" (patched, cobbled) in the Vietnamese-French dictionary confirms this core meaning.