gầy mòn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective/Verb (to be in a state of): To be progressively thin, emaciated, or wasted; to become thinner and weaker over a period of time, often due to illness, worry, or hardship. It describes a gradual process of losing flesh and vitality.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm dài, cơ thể anh ấy trông thật gầy mòn. (After the long illness, his body looks truly wasted.)
- Khuôn mặt gầy mòn của bà ấy thể hiện một cuộc đời nhiều vất vả. (Her gaunt face reflects a life of much hardship.)
- Verb (state):
- Lo nghỉ nhiều quá, cô ấy càng ngày càng gầy mòn đi. (Worrying too much, she is wasting away day by day.)
- Cây cối gầy mòn vì thiếu nước. (The plants are withering due to lack of water.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a connotation of pity or concern, describing a decline that is visible and concerning, not merely natural slimness.
- It can be used figuratively to describe the weakening or diminishing of non-physical things, such as resources, hope, or energy.
Variants and Related Words
- Gầy (adj): Thin, slim (a more general, neutral, or permanent state).
- Cô ấy vốn dĩ đã rất gầy. (She was inherently very slim.)
- Mòn (v/adj): To wear down, to erode, to become thin from friction or use. This root contributes the sense of gradual reduction to the compound "gầy mòn".
- Bánh xe đã bị mòn. (The tire is worn out.)
Synonyms
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
- Gaunt: (Of a person) lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age.
- Wasted: Reduced to a state of weakness and frailty.
- Withering: Becoming dry and shriveled; can be used figuratively.
Related Idioms
- Gầy như que củi: As thin as a stick (emphasizing extreme thinness).
- Ốm nặng một trận, nó gầy như que củi. (After a serious illness, he became as thin as a stick.)
- Gầy trơ xương: So thin the bones are showing.
- Con chó hoang gầy trơ xương. (The stray dog is skin and bones.)
- Be wasting, lose fesh by degrees
- Lo nghỉ nhiều quá càng ngày càng gầy mòn điTo be wasting away because of too many cares