Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Completely deflated or flat: Describes something that has lost all its air, volume, or plumpness, becoming sunken and slack.
   • Empty and shrunken: Often used to describe a stomach or belly that is empty of food, creating a hollow, concave appearance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Quả bóng bay bị xì hơi, giờ lép xẹp rồi. (The balloon lost air and is now completely deflated.)
  • Đói quá, bụng tôi lép xẹp. (I'm so hungry, my stomach is completely empty.)
  • Chiếc túi nilon cũ bị lép xẹp trong góc. (The old plastic bag was deflated and crumpled in the corner.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "lép xẹp" is often used metaphorically to imply a lack of substance, energy, or success, though this is an extended figurative use.
  • Kế hoạch của họ thất bại, mọi hy vọng giờ lép xẹp. (Their plan failed, and all hope is now deflated.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lép (adj): flat, deflated (less emphatic than "lép xẹp").
  • Bánh xe bị lép. (The tire is flat.)
• Lép kẹp (adj): A synonym for "lép xẹp," meaning utterly flat or deflated.

Synonyms

• Deflated: Having lost air or confidence.
• Flat: Level and smooth, or lacking air.
• Empty: Containing nothing.
• Shrunken: Reduced in size.

Related Idioms

• Bụng lép xẹp: An idiom literally meaning "a deflated stomach," used to describe being very hungry.
  • Làm việc cả ngày, ai cũng bụng lép xẹp. (After working all day, everyone's stomachs were empty.)

adj

1. deflated
   • bụng lép xẹp
     empty stomach