khoe khỏe
Definition
- Adjective:
- Healthy and robust: Describes a state of being in good physical health, strong, and vigorous, often with a connotation of showing off or boasting about one's good health.
- Boastfully healthy: Implies not just being healthy, but also displaying or talking about one's health in a proud or ostentatious manner.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ông ấy lúc nào cũng khoe khỏe, dù đã ngoài 70 tuổi. (He is always boastfully healthy, even though he's over 70 years old.)
- Đừng có khoe khỏe mãi, hãy chú ý giữ gìn sức khỏe đi. (Don't keep boasting about your health; pay attention to preserving it.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "khoe khỏe" is often used in a slightly critical or teasing context. It highlights the act of flaunting one's good health, sometimes to the point of seeming imprudent or tempting fate.
- Anh ta khoe khỏe là chưa bao giờ ốm, thế mà hôm nay lại nghỉ làm vì cảm. (He boasted about never being sick, yet today he took a sick day because of a cold.)
Variants and Related Words
- Khỏe (adj): Healthy, strong. This is the root word, meaning simply "healthy" without the boastful connotation.
- Tôi cảm thấy rất khỏe. (I feel very healthy.)
- Khoe khoang (verb): To boast, to brag (generally, about anything).
- Anh ấy thích khoe khoang về thành tích của mình. (He likes to boast about his achievements.)
Synonyms
- Mạnh khỏe (adj): Healthy and strong. This is a more neutral and positive synonym without the boastful nuance.
- Tráng kiện (adj): Hale and hearty, robust (often used for older people). More formal and literary.
Notes on Meaning
- "Khoe khỏe" is a compound adjective formed from the verb "khoe" (to show off, to boast) and the adjective "khỏe" (healthy). Its meaning is inherently tied to the act of displaying one's health. It is not typically used to simply describe a state of good health without that element of demonstration or speech.
- It is important to distinguish it from simply being "khỏe." One can be "khỏe" quietly, but if someone is "khoe khỏe," they are making it known.