Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Full of gaps, widely gaping: Describes a structure, barrier, or surface that has many openings, holes, or spaces, making it incomplete or not solid.
   • Exposed, unprotected: Describes a space or situation that is open, lacking cover or protection, and therefore vulnerable.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cái phên cửa này hổng hểnh quá. (This bamboo-plaited door is full of gaps / is too widely gaping.)
  • Phòng này hổng hểnh quá. (This room is too exposed.)
  • Bức tường rào hổng hểnh, gà dễ lọt ra ngoài. (The fence is full of gaps, so chickens can easily get out.)

Advanced Usage

• Describing abstract vulnerability: Can be used metaphorically to describe a plan, argument, or defense that is full of flaws or weak points.
  • Kế hoạch của họ còn hổng hểnh nhiều chỗ. (Their plan still has many gaps / is full of holes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hổng (adj/verb): To have a hole; to be missing or lacking. Often used in Southern Vietnamese.
  • Cái thùng bị hổng đáy. (The barrel has a hole in the bottom.)
• Hở (adj): Ajar, open, gaping. Describes something not fully closed.
  • Cửa đóng chưa kín, vẫn còn hở. (The door isn't shut tightly; it's still ajar.)
• Trống trải (adj): Bare, empty, exposed (often describing a landscape or feeling). This is the synonym provided in the Vietnamese-Vietnamese reference.
  • Cánh đồng trống trải. (The field is bare and exposed.)

Synonyms

• Lỗ chỗ: Full of holes (often smaller, more numerous holes).
• Thủng lỗ chỗ: Perforated with holes.
• Hở hang: Exposed, indecently revealing (can refer to clothing or situations).

Notes on Usage

• Tone and Region: "Hổng hểnh" is a vivid, descriptive word. The variant "hổng" is more common in Southern Vietnamese.
• Formality: It is used in both spoken and written Vietnamese.
• Visual Imagery: The word strongly evokes a visual of uneven gaps and a lack of solidity or privacy.

1. Full of gaps, widely gaping, exposed
   • Cái phên cửa này hổng hểnh quá
     This bamboo-plaited door has too many gaps in it
   • Phòng này hổng hểnh quá
     This room is exposed