Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Old and decrepit; worn out and stunted: Describes something, typically a plant or tree, that has become old, exhausted, and has stopped growing due to a loss of vitality or life force. It implies a state of being both aged and physically diminished.
   • Senescent and stunted: Can be used metaphorically to describe systems, ideas, or institutions that are outdated, no longer productive, and have failed to develop further.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cây táo trong vườn đã già cỗi, không còn ra quả nữa. (The apple tree in the garden has become old and stunted, it no longer bears fruit.)
  • Những tư tưởng già cỗi đó cần phải được thay thế. (Those senescent and stunted ideas need to be replaced.)
  • Sau nhiều năm khai thác, mảnh đất này đã trở nên già cỗi. (After many years of cultivation, this plot of land has become worn out and depleted.)

Advanced Usage

• Used metaphorically for non-living things: While originally describing plants, "già cỗi" is effectively used to criticize things that are obsolete and unproductive.
  • Một hệ thống giáo dục già cỗi sẽ kìm hãm sự phát triển của đất nước. (An outdated and stagnant education system will hinder a country's development.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cằn cỗi (adj): Barren, infertile (often used for land). This is a close synonym but emphasizes lack of fertility more than advanced age.
  • Đất đai cằn cỗi. (Barren land.)
• Già nua (adj): Old, aged. This focuses on old age but does not necessarily imply stunted growth or lack of vitality.
  • Con ngựa già nua. (The old horse.)

Synonyms

• Cằn cọc: Stunted, undersized.
• Lão hóa: Aged, senescent (more formal, often biological).
• Hết nhựa sống: To have lost vitality/sap (idiomatic, literal for plants).

Antonyms

• Tươi tốt: Lush, luxuriant.
• Trẻ trung: Young, youthful.
• Đầy sức sống: Full of vitality.

Related Idioms

• "Già cỗi như cây sắn bờ rào": (As old and stunted as a cassava plant by the fence.) An idiom emphasizing a state of being utterly worn out and unproductive.
  • Cơ quan đó già cỗi như cây sắn bờ rào, cần cải tổ ngay. (That agency is as decrepit as a fence-post cassava plant and needs immediate reform.)

1. Old and stunted fruit-tree