Definition

1. Adjective/Verb phrase:
   • To be out of breath: To be in a state where one is breathing with difficulty, typically after strenuous physical exertion, making it hard to speak or continue.
   • To be exhausted / to be spent: To be completely drained of energy or vitality, often extending beyond just physical breathlessness to a state of total fatigue.

Usage Examples

• Adjective/Verb phrase:
  • Sau khi leo năm tầng cầu thang, tôi hết hơi. (After climbing five flights of stairs, I am out of breath.)
  • Huấn luyện viên hét vào mặt cầu thủ cho đến khi hết hơi. (The coach yelled at the players until he was out of breath.)
  • Làm việc liên tục 12 tiếng khiến anh ấy hết hơi. (Working for 12 hours straight left him completely exhausted.)

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively to describe something that is no longer popular, active, or effective.
  • Mẫu điện thoại đó giờ đã hết hơi rồi. (That phone model is now out of steam / no longer popular.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hết sức (adv): with all one's strength, extremely.
  • Cô ấy đã cố gắng hết sức. (She tried her hardest.)
• Đứt hơi (adj/v phrase): similar to "hết hơi," meaning breathless or out of breath, sometimes with a more sudden connotation.
  • Chạy nhanh quá, tôi tưởng đứt hơi. (I ran so fast I thought I'd lose my breath.)

Synonyms

• Out of breath: Lacking breath after exertion.
• Breathless: Gasping for air.
• Exhausted: Drained of energy.
• Spent: Completely used up, especially of energy.

Related Idioms

• Chạy hết hơi: To run until one is out of breath, often implying great effort.
  • Nó chạy hết hơi để kịp giờ học. (He ran himself ragged to get to class on time.)
• Làm việc hết hơi: To work oneself to exhaustion.
  • Bà ấy làm việc hết hơi để nuôi gia đình. (She worked herself to the bone to support her family.)

1. to lose one's breath