Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Decrepit, old and feeble: Describes a state of being very old and physically weak, often implying frailty and a decline in health due to advanced age.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông cụ tuy già yếu nhưng vẫn rất minh mẫn. (Although the old man is decrepit, he remains very lucid.)
  • Sau trận ốm, bà trông già yếu hẳn đi. (After the illness, she looks much more old and feeble.)
  • Những bức tường của ngôi nhà cũ đã trở nên già yếu. (The walls of the old house have become decrepit.) (Note: Can be used metaphorically for objects.)

Advanced Usage

• "tuổi già sức yếu": A common four-word idiom meaning "old age and declining strength," emphasizing the natural weakness that comes with aging.
  • Phải chăm sóc ông bà lúc tuổi già sức yếu. (We must take care of our grandparents in their old age and declining strength.)

Variants and Related Words

• Già nua (adj): Old and worn-out. Can refer to people or things, often with a stronger connotation of being outdated or dilapidated.
  • Chiếc xe già nua. (An old and worn-out car.)
• Yếu ớt (adj): Weak, feeble, frail. Can describe physical weakness not necessarily due to old age.
  • Sức khỏe yếu ớt. (Feeble health.)
• Lão hóa (v): To age, to grow old (process).
  • Quá trình lão hóa. (The aging process.)

Synonyms

• Suyt yếu: Weak and frail.
• Héo mòn: Withering, declining (often used for health or vitality).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary meaning refers to the physical state of an elderly person.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe objects, institutions, or ideas that are old, weak, and no longer robust (e.g., a decrepit building, a feeble argument).

1. Decrepit, old and feeble
   • Tuy già yếu nhưng vẫn rất minh mẫn
     although decrepit (old and feeble), he still remains very lucid