khô cằn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Arid, Barren: The primary meaning of "khô cằn" describes land or soil that is extremely dry, lacking moisture, and infertile, unable to support plant growth.
- Desiccated, Parched: It can describe something that is dried out and withered.
Adjective (figurative):
- Barren, Sterile: Used metaphorically to describe something that is unproductive, lacking in vitality, creativity, or emotional richness, such as a period of life, a relationship, or intellectual thought.
Usage Examples
Adjective (literal):
- Vùng đất này rất khô cằn. (This land is very arid.)
- Sau nhiều tháng không mưa, đồng ruộng trở nên khô cằn. (After many months without rain, the fields became parched.)
Adjective (figurative):
- Tâm hồn anh ta dần trở nên khô cằn. (His soul gradually became barren.)
- Một giai đoạn sáng tác khô cằn. (A barren period of creative work.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in environmental and agricultural contexts to discuss desertification or soil degradation.
- In literary or psychological contexts, it effectively conveys a profound sense of emptiness or lack of nourishment.
Variants and Related Words
Khô hạn (adj): drought-stricken, dry. Focuses more on the condition of lacking rain.
- Khí hậu khô hạn. (Arid climate.)
Cằn cỗi (adj): barren, exhausted (often for soil); also used figuratively for something worn out or unproductive.
- Mảnh đất cằn cỗi. (Barren land.)
Synonyms
- Arid: Very dry, especially of land or climate.
- Barren: Unable to produce vegetation or fruit; unproductive.
- Parched: Dried out with heat.
- Sterile: Lacking in imagination, creativity, or vitality (figurative).
Related Idioms
- While "khô cằn" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used in descriptive phrases like:
- Đất đai khô cằn nứt nẻ. (The land is arid and cracked.)
- Trí tưởng tượng khô cằn. (A barren imagination.)
- Arid, Barren (nói về đất)