Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Toilsome and sad; weary and sorrowful: Describes a state of being both physically or mentally exhausted from hard work or effort ("lao") and simultaneously burdened by sadness, worry, or grief ("phiền").

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau những năm tháng lao phiền, cuối cùng bà cũng tìm được bình yên. (After years of toil and sorrow, she finally found peace.)
  • Gương mặt anh ấy hiện lên vẻ lao phiền vì chuyện gia đình. (His face showed a weary and troubled look because of family matters.)
  • Đừng để tâm trạng lao phiền ảnh hưởng đến sức khỏe. (Don't let a burdened and sad state of mind affect your health.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "lao phiền" is a classical, literary compound adjective. It is used to convey a profound, lingering state of hardship intertwined with melancholy, often resulting from life's prolonged struggles or misfortunes. It is more intense and poetic than simply being "tired" () or "sad" ().

Variants and Related Words

• Phiền muộn (adj): Worried, troubled, distressed (focuses more on mental anxiety than physical toil).
  • Anh ấy đang phiền muộn vì công việc. (He is worried about work.)
• Lao đao (adj): To be tossed about, to lead a turbulent, unstable life facing many difficulties.
  • Cuộc sống lao đao kiếm sống. (A life tossed about while making a living.)
• Vất vả (adj): Hard, laborious, toilsome (focuses on physical hardship and effort).
  • Công việc vất vả. (Hard work.)

Synonyms

• Khổ cực (adj): Suffering, arduous (emphasizes suffering and difficulty).
• Nặng nề (adj): Heavy, burdensome (can describe physical weight or a heavy heart).
• Buồn bã, ưu tư (adj): Sad, sorrowful; pensive, worried (focus on the emotional aspect).

Related Idioms

• "Lao tâm khổ tứ": To rack one's brains and suffer mentally; to go through great mental strain and worry.
  • Ông ấy lao tâm khổ tứ lo cho tương lai các con. (He racked his brains and suffered mentally worrying about his children's future.)
• "Dãi dầu mưa nắng": To be weathered by sun and rain; to endure the hardships of life.
  • Cuộc đời dãi dầu mưa nắng. (A life weathered by hardships.)

1. toilsome and sad