Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Skinny, scrawny, or gaunt: Describes a person, animal, or limb that is extremely thin, bony, and lacking flesh, often suggesting a frail or unhealthy appearance.
   • Scraggy, scrubby, or sparse: Describes vegetation, trees, or plants that are thin, meager, and stunted in growth, often due to poor conditions like barren soil or lack of water.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (describing a person or limb):
  • Chân tay khẳng khiu. (To have skinny limbs.)
• Adjective (describing vegetation):
  • Đất bạc màu lại thiếu nước cây cối khẳng khiu. (The vegetation was scrubby due to exhausted and too dry soil.)
  • Những cành cây khẳng khiu vươn ra trong sương. (The scraggy tree branches reached out in the fog.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "khẳng khiu" often carries a negative connotation, evoking an image of unattractive, brittle thinness resulting from deprivation, sickness, or harsh conditions. It is more vivid and descriptive than the neutral word (thin).

Variants and Related Words

• Khẳng khao (adj): A less common variant with a similar meaning of being very thin and bony.

Synonyms

• For people/animals: Scrawny, gaunt, bony, emaciated, skeletal.
• For plants/trees: Scraggy, scrubby, stunted, meager, sparse.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Người khẳng khiu như que củi: (A person as skinny as a stick.) Emphasizes extreme, stick-like thinness.
• Cánh tay khẳng khiu: (A scrawny arm.) A common descriptive phrase.

1. Skinny, scrawny, scraggy, scrubby
   • Chân tay khẳng khiu
     To have skinny limbs
   • Đất bạc màu lại thiếu nước cây cối khẳng khiu
     The vegetaion was scrubby due to exhausted and too dry soil