Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Weather-beaten / Hardened by exposure: Describes a person, object, or surface that shows the effects of long-term exposure to harsh weather conditions like sun, wind, and rain.
   • Toiled and weathered / Having endured hardship: Describes a state resulting from enduring difficult, laborious, or strenuous conditions over a long period, often implying resilience.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Làn da dầu dãi của người nông dân. (The farmer's weather-beaten skin.)
  • Họ có một cuộc sống dầu dãi nơi miền núi. (They have a life hardened by exposure in the mountainous region.)
  • Chiếc thuyền dầu dãi sương gió. (The boat, toiled and weathered by wind and dew.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a sense of time, struggle, and endurance against natural elements or difficult circumstances.
• It frequently modifies nouns related to the human body (face, skin, hands) or objects in nature (wood, stone, boats).

Variants and Related Words

• Dãi dầu (adj): This is the more common base form. "Dầu dãi" is a variant, often used for poetic or emphatic effect. It carries the same meaning: weathered, having endured hardship.
  • Gương mặt dãi dầu nắng gió. (A face weathered by sun and wind.)

Synonyms

• Weather-beaten: Worn or damaged by long exposure to the weather.
• Hardened: Made tough or resilient through experience.
• Weathered: Changed in color, texture, or form due to long exposure to the air or weather.
• Toil-worn: Showing signs of exhaustion from hard work.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Dãi nắng dầm mưa / Dầu dãi nắng mưa: To be exposed to sun and rain; to endure all kinds of harsh weather, often implying hard work outdoors.
  • Công việc đồng áng dầu dãi nắng mưa. (Farm work involves being weathered by sun and rain.)
• Dãi dầu sương gió: To be weathered by wind and frost/dew; a poetic way to describe being toughened by life's hardships.

1. xem dãi dầu