leo lắt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Flickering, unsteady (of light): Describes a light source that is weak, wavering, and on the verge of going out, often producing a dim and intermittent glow.
- Precarious, unstable, barely surviving (of a situation, business, or life): Describes something that is very unstable, fragile, and barely manages to continue existing or functioning.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ngọn đèn dầu leo lắt trong căn nhà hoang. (The oil lamp flickered in the abandoned house.)
- Công việc kinh doanh của họ chỉ còn leo lắt vài tháng nữa là đóng cửa. (Their business is just barely surviving; it will close in a few months.)
- Cuộc sống leo lắt của người dân sau trận lũ. (The precarious life of the people after the flood.)
Advanced Usage
"sống leo lắt": to eke out a living, to live a hand-to-mouth existence.
- Gia đình anh ấy sống leo lắt qua ngày. (His family ekes out a living day by day.)
"leo lắt như ngọn đèn trước gió": (idiomatic simile) as flickering as a lamp in the wind; describes something extremely unstable and on the verge of extinction.
- Mối quan hệ của họ leo lắt như ngọn đèn trước gió. (Their relationship is as unstable as a flickering lamp in the wind.)
Variants and Related Words
- Leo lét (adj): This is a direct variant with the same meaning as 'leo lắt', commonly used to describe flickering light or a precarious situation.
- Ánh nến leo lét. (The candlelight flickered.)
Synonyms
- Chập chờn (adj): flickering, unsteady (often for light or sleep).
- Lắt lay (adj): swaying, tottering, unstable.
- Bấp bênh (adj): precarious, unstable, insecure (often for situations).
Related Phrases
- Vật vờ leo lắt: to linger on feebly, to be in a state of barely hanging on.
- Bệnh nhân vật vờ leo lắt trên giường bệnh. (The patient lingered on feebly in the sickbed.)
Related Idioms
- Sống chết leo lắt: to live a life hanging by a thread, between life and death.
- Sau tai nạn, ông ấy sống chết leo lắt trong bệnh viện. (After the accident, he lived hanging by a thread in the hospital.)