Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Strength, energy, physical capacity: "Hơi sức" refers to the physical strength or energy a person has, often implying a limited or insufficient amount. It is commonly used in negative or rhetorical contexts to express a lack of capacity to do something.
   • Breath, vitality: In a more literal sense, it can combine the concepts of breath ("hơi") and strength ("sức"), referring to one's vital energy or life force.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hơi sức đâu mà làm việc này một mình. (Where would I get the strength to do this work alone?)
  • Sau trận ốm, anh ấy chẳng còn chút hơi sức nào. (After the illness, he didn't have a bit of energy left.)
  • Nó chạy một hơi đến mức không còn hơi sức. (He ran so hard he was out of breath/energy.)

Advanced Usage

• "Còn hơi sức đâu mà...": A common rhetorical structure meaning "How could one possibly have the energy/strength to...?" It emphasizes exhaustion or the impossibility of a task.

  • Còn hơi sức đâu mà lo cho chuyện của người khác. (How could I possibly have the energy left to worry about other people's affairs?)

• "Không còn một chút hơi sức": To be completely drained of energy, utterly exhausted.

  • Làm việc cả ngày, tôi không còn một chút hơi sức. (After working all day, I don't have a shred of strength left.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sức lực (n): Physical strength, manpower. This is a more common and direct synonym for physical capacity.

  • Công việc đòi hỏi nhiều sức lực. (The job requires a lot of physical strength.)

• Hơi tàn sức kiệt (Idiom): To be completely exhausted, with breath fading and strength depleted. This is a fixed idiom expressing extreme fatigue.

  • Làm xong việc, anh ta đã hơi tàn sức kiệt. (After finishing the work, he was completely worn out.)

Synonyms

• Sức: Strength, force (a simpler, more general term).
• Năng lượng: Energy (often used in more scientific or general contexts).
• Sinh lực: Vitality, life force.

Related Phrases

• Hết hơi hết sức: To use up all one's breath and strength; to try one's utmost, to exert oneself to the limit.
  • Tôi đã hết hơi hết sức để giải thích cho cô ấy hiểu. (I exerted myself to the limit trying to make her understand.)

Related Idioms

• Kiệt sức: To be exhausted, drained of strength. This is a very common term for fatigue.

  • Sau chuyến leo núi, cả đoàn đều kiệt sức. (After the hiking trip, the whole group was exhausted.)

• Bất lực: Powerless, lacking strength (often physical or metaphorical).

  • Trước thiên tai, con người đôi khi cảm thấy bất lực. (In the face of natural disasters, people sometimes feel powerless.)

1. Force
   • Hơi sức đâu mà làm
     To have to force to work