Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Bent, curved, stooped: Describes something, especially a person's back, that is not straight but curved or arched, often due to age, heavy load, or physical strain.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông cụ lưng khòng vì tuổi già. (The old man's back is bent with age.)
  • Bà ấy khòng lưng xuống nhặt đồ. (She stooped/bent down to pick up the item.)
  • Con đường khòng theo sườn núi. (The road curves along the mountainside.) (Note: This usage is less common and more poetic/descriptive.)

Advanced Usage

• "khòng khòng": A reduplicated form used to emphasize a slight or pronounced bend.
  • Chiếc cây khòng khòng vì gió bão. (The tree is quite bent from the storm.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cong (adj): Curved, bent. A more standard and general synonym.
• Còng (adj): Specifically describes a bent back, often due to age. Very close in meaning to "khòng".
• Khòm lưng (verb phrase): To bend one's back, to stoop.

Synonyms

• Cong: Curved, bent.
• Còng: Hunched, stooped (specifically for the back).

Notes on Usage

• Register: The word "khòng" is primarily used in dialectal or regional Vietnamese, particularly in the Northern regions. In formal writing or standard communication, words like "cong" or "còng" are more commonly used.
• Typical Context: It most frequently describes the physical posture of a person, especially an elderly person or someone carrying a heavy burden. Its use to describe inanimate objects (like a road or tree) is more figurative and less common.

1. (địa phương) Bent (of the back)
   • Lưng khòng vì tuổi già
     To be bent with age