Definition

1. Verb:

   • To become stunted, to wither away, to die back: Refers to plants or vegetation drying up, shrinking, and dying, often due to lack of water, nutrients, or extreme weather conditions.
   • To dwindle, to die down, to fade (for a fire or light): Describes a flame or light gradually weakening and going out.

2. Noun:

   • A type of palm tree (Licuala): Refers to a specific genus of small, slender, and straight-stemmed palm trees, whose wood is often hard and used for making canes or walking sticks.

Usage Examples

• Verb (Plant withering):
  • Trời nắng quá, mấy cây mới trồng lụi hết. (The sun is too scorching; all the newly planted trees withered away.)
  • Vườn hoa lụi tàn sau đợt hạn hán. (The flower garden withered after the drought.)
• Verb (Fire/Light dying down):
  • Ngọn lửa trong lò sưởi dần lụi đi. (The fire in the fireplace gradually died down.)
  • Ánh nến lụi tắt trước cơn gió. (The candlelight flickered out in the wind.)
• Noun (Palm tree):
  • Ông cụ chống gậy bằng thân cây lụi. (The old man uses a cane made from a licuala palm trunk.)

Advanced Usage

• "lụi tàn": To wither and perish completely. Often used for plants or metaphorically for fading glory or life.
  • Một nền văn minh đã lụi tàn. (A civilization that has withered and perished.)
• "lụi dần": To dwindle or fade away gradually.
  • Hy vọng của họ lụi dần theo thời gian. (Their hope dwindled over time.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tàn lụi (Verb phrase): A synonym often used interchangeably with "lụi tàn," meaning to decline, fade, or perish.
  • Sức khỏe của bà cụ đang tàn lụi. (The old woman's health is failing.)
• Lụi hụi (Adverb): An informal, reduplicative form describing someone working diligently, often in a bent-over or focused manner. (Note: This is a distinct colloquial term and not a direct variant of "lụi").
  • Anh ấy làm việc lụi hụi cả ngày trong vườn. (He worked diligently all day in the garden.)

Synonyms

• Héo (Verb): To wilt, to wither (usually for plants).
• Tắt (Verb): To go out, to turn off (for fire, light).
• Còi cọc (Verb/Adj.): To be stunted, undersized (for growth).

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Chết lụi (Verb phrase): To die off, to wither and die.
  • Cây cối chết lụi vì thiếu nước. (The plants withered and died from lack of water.)
• Lụi đi (Verb phrase): To dwindle away, to fade.
  • Tiếng nói của ông ấy lụi đi thành thì thầm. (His voice faded to a whisper.)

Related Idioms

• "Cây *lụi lá xanh cành"*: An idiom implying that even when the main part (the tree) declines, other parts (branches/leaves) may still thrive. It can metaphorically describe a family or system where the core weakens but the periphery remains.
  • (Not commonly used in modern daily conversation but found in literature or proverbs.)

1. Get stunted, wither away
   • Trời nắng quá, mấy cây mới trồng lụi hết
     In the scorching sun, the newly-planted trees withered away