lõa
Definition
Adjective:
- Naked, nude: Describes a state of being completely unclothed, without any covering on the body.
- Bare, exposed: Can describe something that is uncovered or laid bare, often in a figurative sense.
Verb (archaic/poetic):
- To gush, to flow profusely: Describes a liquid, such as blood or water, flowing out abundantly and freely.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Hắn bị bắt gặp trong tình trạng lõa thể. (He was caught in a state of nudity.)
- Sự thật lõa ra trước mắt mọi người. (The truth was laid bare before everyone's eyes.)
Verb:
- Vết thương khiến máu lõa ra. (The wound caused blood to gush out.)
Advanced Usage
- "lõa lồ": This is a more common and emphatic compound adjective meaning blatantly naked, completely exposed, or shockingly bare. It intensifies the state described by "lõa."
- Hành động tham nhũng lõa lồ. (Blatantly corrupt actions.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lõa thể (adj): A formal or literary term for naked, in a state of nudity.
- Trần truồng (adj): The most common and direct synonym for naked, nude.
Synonyms
- Naked, nude: Completely unclothed.
- Bare, exposed: Uncovered, revealed.
- Gush, spurt: To flow out suddenly and copiously (for the verb form).
Notes on Usage
- The adjectival meaning ("naked") is the primary modern understanding. The verbal meaning ("to gush") is now considered archaic, literary, or dialectal and is rarely used in everyday contemporary Vietnamese.
- The word "lõa" itself is somewhat formal or literary. In casual speech, words like "trần truồng" or "khỏa thân" are more frequently used for "naked."
- It most commonly appears in the intensified form "lõa lồ," which is used for both literal and figurative exposure.