Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hard, difficult, arduous: Describes a situation, life, or circumstance that is full of hardship, suffering, and struggle. It implies a state of being beset by difficulties and lacking ease or comfort.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đời sống gieo neo. (A hard life.)
  • Cảnh ngộ gieo neo. (A hard lot; a sad plight.)
  • Họ phải trải qua những năm tháng gieo neo. (They had to go through arduous years.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is primarily literary and is used to evoke a poignant sense of enduring difficulty, often in a historical or social context. It is not typically used for minor, temporary inconveniences.

Variants and Related Words

• Gian nan (adj): difficult, full of obstacles.
• Vất vả (adj): toilsome, laborious.
• Khó khăn (adj): difficult, challenging.

Synonyms

• Arduous: Involving strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
• Hard: Characterized by severe toil or hardship.
• Difficult: Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

Related Idioms

• While "gieo neo" itself is not commonly part of a fixed idiom, it is used in set phrases like "đời sống gieo neo" (a hard life) or "cảnh ngộ gieo neo" (a hard plight) to describe profound and persistent hardship.

1. Hard
   • Đời sống gieo neo
     A hard life
   • Cảnh ngộ gieo leo
     A hard lot, a sad plight