Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stone-broke, completely penniless, extremely poor: "Kiết cú" describes a state of utter financial destitution, having no money at all. It is a colloquial and somewhat vulgar term.
   • Indigent, needy: It can also refer to a state of severe poverty and need.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta hiện đang kiết cú, chẳng còn một xu dính túi. (He is currently stone-broke, without a penny to his name.)
  • Dù kiết cú nhưng anh ấy vẫn lạc quan. (Even though he's completely penniless, he remains optimistic.)
  • "Kiết cú như ai cũng rượu chè" (Trần Tế Xương). (Though stone-broke, one can still afford indulging in drinks.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "kiết cú" is informal and carries a strong, blunt connotation. It is often used for emphasis in casual speech or in literary works to vividly portray extreme poverty.
• It can be used humorously or self-deprecatingly to describe a temporary lack of money.

Variants and Related Words

• Kiết xác (adj): A synonym with a similar meaning of being completely broke or impoverished.
• Túng bấn (adj): Hard up, in financial straits (less vulgar and strong than "kiết cú").
• Nghèo rớt mồng tơi (idiom): Extremely poor, dirt-poor.

Synonyms

• Hết tiền: To be out of money.
• Trắng tay: To be left with empty hands, to lose everything.
• Bần cùng: Destitute, in abject poverty (more formal/literary).

Related Idioms

• Kiết cú như mèo: As broke as a cat (a humorous simile emphasizing having no money).
• While not a phrasal verb, the structure "kiết cú đến nỗi..." (so broke that...) is common to explain the consequences.
  • Nó kiết cú đến nỗi không thể mua nổi một bữa ăn. (He is so broke that he can't even afford a meal.)

1. Stone-broke.
   • "kiết cú như ai cũng rượu chè " (Trần Tế Xương)
2. Though stone-broke, one can still afford indulging in drinks