cạn khan
Definition
Adjective:
- Dry, parched, completely drained of liquid: The primary meaning describes a state of being utterly dry, having no moisture or liquid remaining.
- Exposed, laid bare: Describes something that is revealed or spread out openly, often because the covering or contents have been removed.
Adjective (extended/colloquial usage):
- Numerous, a large crowd: In some regional or idiomatic contexts, it is used to describe a large, dense group of people.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (Dry/Exposed):
- Giếng làng đã cạn khan từ mùa hè. (The village well has been completely dry since summer.)
- Sau trận lũ, đáy sông cạn khan lộ ra. (After the flood, the dry riverbed was exposed.)
- Adjective (Numerous):
- Một lũ trẻ con cạn khan đang chơi ngoài sân. (A whole crowd of children is playing in the yard.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is considered somewhat literary or regional. The meaning "numerous" is not standard in all dialects and may be encountered in specific regional speech or older texts.
Variants and Related Words
- Cạn (adj): dry, shallow, depleted. A more common word for "dry" or "empty."
- Bình nước đã cạn. (The water bottle is empty.)
- Khan (adj): rare, scarce (as in ). When used independently, it intensifies the meaning of "cạn."
Synonyms
- Dry: containing no moisture.
- Parched: dried out by heat.
- Depleted: emptied or exhausted.
- Exposed: left uncovered or visible.
- Swarm: a large, moving crowd (for the extended meaning).
Related Idioms
- Cạn khan nước đáy: An idiom emphasizing a state of being completely exhausted or drained of resources, similar to "bone dry" or "at the end of one's rope."
- Sau vụ mùa thất bát, gia đình ấy đã cạn khan nước đáy. (After the crop failure, that family's resources were completely exhausted.)