Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Dangerous, critical, or life-threatening: Describes a situation, condition, or illness that is extremely perilous, with a high risk of death or severe, irreversible harm. It implies a state of grave danger where escape or recovery is very difficult.
   • Perilous or precarious: Refers to circumstances that are fraught with extreme risk and hazard.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bệnh nhân đang trong tình trạng hiểm nghèo. (The patient is in a critical condition.)
  • Họ đã vượt qua chặng đường hiểm nghèo trên núi. (They passed through a perilous stretch of mountain road.)
  • Đó là một căn bệnh hiểm nghèo. (That is a dangerous, life-threatening disease.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in formal or literary contexts to emphasize the severity and gravity of a danger, particularly in medical or survival situations.
• It can describe both physical dangers (like a treacherous path) and abstract dangers (like a critical phase in a negotiation).

Variants and Related Words

• Hiểm (adj): dangerous, perilous. Often used in compounds.
  • hiểm hóc: treacherous, tricky.
• Nguy hiểm (adj): dangerous. A more common, general synonym.
• Trầm trọng (adj): serious, severe. Often used for illnesses or problems but does not inherently carry the same connotation of mortal danger as .

Synonyms

• Critical: of decisive importance in a perilous situation.
• Grave: serious, solemn, often signaling a threat to life.
• Life-threatening: potentially causing death.
• Perilous: full of danger or risk.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bước đường hiểm nghèo: a perilous path or journey.
  • Họ bắt đầu bước đường hiểm nghèo. (They embarked on a perilous journey.)
• Phút hiểm nghèo: a critical moment.
  • Anh ta đã cứu tôi trong phút hiểm nghèo. (He saved me at the critical moment.)

adj

1. dangerous, serious