Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Withered, faded: Describes plants, grass, or leaves that have lost freshness, vitality, and color, becoming dry and lifeless.
   • Gloomy, downcast, down in the mouth: Describes a facial expression or mood that is sad, melancholic, and lacking in spirit or energy.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Withered):

  • Cỏ trong vườn đã dàu dàu vì nắng hạn. (The grass in the garden has withered due to the drought.)
  • Những cánh hoa dàu dàu rơi xuống đất. (The withered flower petals fell to the ground.)

• Adjective (Gloomy):

  • Sau tin buồn, anh ấy có gương mặt dàu dàu cả ngày. (After the sad news, he had a gloomy face all day.)
  • Đừng nhìn dàu dàu như vậy, mọi chuyện rồi sẽ ổn thôi. (Don't look so downcast; everything will be fine.)

Advanced Usage

• "dàu dàu héo hon": An intensified phrase meaning extremely withered or utterly dejected.
  • Cánh đồng sau trận sương muối trông dàu dàu héo hon. (The field looked utterly withered after the frost.)
• Used poetically to describe a general atmosphere of decline or sadness.
  • Mùa thu, cảnh vật bỗng trở nên dàu dàu. (In autumn, the scenery suddenly becomes gloomy/wan.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dàu (Adj): A shorter, less common form with a similar meaning of withered or gloomy. "Dàu dàu" is the more standard and commonly used reduplicated form.
• Héo (Adj): Withered, shriveled. A more common synonym for the physical state.
• Úa (Adj): Faded, withered. Often used for flowers or leaves losing color.

Synonyms

• Héo úa (Adj): Withered and faded.
• Ủ rũ (Adj): Drooping, languid (often for plants); crestfallen, dejected (for mood).
• Buồn bã (Adj): Sad, sorrowful.
• Tàn tạ (Adj): Declining, fading (often for beauty or life force).

Notes on Usage

• "Dàu dàu" is a descriptive adjective, often used in literary, poetic, or descriptive contexts rather than everyday conversation. It conveys a vivid image or feeling.
• It primarily functions as a predicate adjective (đứng sau động từ "trở nên", "có vẻ", etc.) or an attributive adjective before nouns like "gương mặt", "cỏ".
• The word is a reduplication of "dàu". Reduplication in Vietnamese often adds emphasis or a continuous, lingering quality to the meaning.

1. Withered
   • Cỏ dàu dàu
     Withered grass
2. Down in the mouth, gloomy
   • Gương mặt dàu dàu
     A gloomy face