Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Wasted away / Haggard: Describes a state of physical decline, appearing withered, gaunt, or emaciated, often due to prolonged illness, grief, or exhaustion.
   • Languishing: Conveys a sense of pining away, losing vitality, strength, or spirit, typically from emotional distress.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận ốm dài, cô ấy trông thật héo hon. (After the long illness, she looks truly wasted away.)
  • Khuôn mặt héo hon của người mẹ thể hiện nỗi nhớ con da diết. (The mother's haggard face shows her intense longing for her child.)
  • Cây cối héo hon vì hạn hán. (The plants are languishing because of the drought.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a strong image of physical and emotional decline. It implies a process over time, not a momentary state.

Variants and Related Words

• Héo (adj): withered, dried up (often used for plants).
  • Lá cây bị héo. (The tree leaves are withered.)
• Héo hắt (adj): a synonym with a similar meaning, emphasizing a desolate, forlorn state.

Synonyms

• Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
• Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony, often from hunger or illness.
• Languishing: Losing or lacking vitality; growing weak or feeble.
• Withered: Shriveled or wrinkled from age, disease, or drought (used figuratively for people).

Related Idioms

• Héo hon vì lo nghĩ: To waste away from worry.
  • Ông ấy héo hon vì lo nghĩ cho tương lai của công ty. (He is wasting away from worrying about the company's future.)

1. waste away. héo hon
   • vì quá lo nghĩ
     To waste away because of to much worrying