Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Wasted, gaunt, haggard: Describes a face or appearance that has become extremely thin, drawn, and pale, typically due to prolonged illness, exhaustion, hardship, or old age. It emphasizes a visible decline from a healthier state.
   • Decrepit: Can describe a person, especially an elderly one, who appears frail, weak, and worn out.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đau ốm lâu ngày mặt mũi hom hem. (After a long illness, his/her face became gaunt.)
  • Cụ già hom hem. (A decrepit old man.)
  • Sau trận bệnh, anh ấy trông hom hem hẳn đi. (After the illness, he looks terribly haggard.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "hom hem" is primarily used to describe facial features or overall bodily appearance. It carries a connotation of pity or concern for the subject's deteriorated condition.
• It is often used in contrast to a previous, healthier state, implicitly suggesting a story of suffering or decline.

Variants and Related Words

• Héo hon (adj): Withered, shriveled; often used for plants but can be applied metaphorically to people.
• Tiều tụy (adj): Haggard, careworn; describes a worn-out appearance from suffering or worry.

Synonyms

• Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony.
• Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or illness.
• Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, often from lack of food or illness.
• Wan: Pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.

Related Idioms

• While "hom hem" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is conceptually related to expressions describing deterioration:
  • Xanh xao gầy guộc: Pale and skinny.
  • Mặt hốc hác: With a sunken, hollow face.

1. Wasted, decrepit
   • Đau ốm lâu ngày mặt mũi hom hem
     To have a wasted face after a long illness
   • Cụ già hom hem
     A decrepit old man