hốc hếch

Một người đàn ông trông hốc hếch sau nhiều ngày làm việc mệt mỏi.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Gaunt and sunken: Describes a face that is extremely thin, with the bones prominently visible and the cheeks deeply hollowed, typically due to severe illness, exhaustion, or prolonged malnutrition. It implies a more severe and pronounced state than simply "thin."

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận ốm nặng, khuôn mặt anh ấy trông hốc hếch. (After the serious illness, his face looked gaunt and sunken.)
  • Những tù nhân chiến tranh thường có vẻ ngoài hốc hếch vì đói khát. (Prisoners of war often have a gaunt and sunken appearance due to hunger and thirst.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a strong image of physical deterioration and suffering.

Variants and Related Words

• Hốc hác (adj): Gaunt, haggard. This is a very close synonym, though "hốc hếch" may suggest a slightly more extreme or pronounced state.
  • Cô ấy làm việc quá sức nên trông hốc hác. (She overworked herself so she looks haggard.)

Synonyms

• Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony.
• Sunken: (Of eyes or cheeks) deeply recessed.
• Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
• Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.

Related Idioms

• While there is no direct idiom with "hốc hếch," the condition it describes is often captured in phrases like "chỉ còn da bọc xương" (nothing but skin and bones).