Definition

1. Verb:
   • To eke out a meager existence; to live precariously: Describes a state of barely surviving, often with great difficulty and uncertainty, from one day to the next. It implies a life lacking stability, security, or adequate resources.
   • To linger on weakly; to persist feebly: Can describe something (e.g., a flame, a sound, a tradition) that continues in a very faint, weak, or intermittent manner, barely holding on.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình nghèo ấy phải sống lây lất qua ngày. (That poor family has to live from hand to mouth, day by day.)
  • Ngọn lửa trong lò sưởi chỉ còn lây lất. (The fire in the fireplace was just flickering weakly.)
  • Công việc của anh ta rất bấp bênh, chỉ đủ để lây lất. (His job is very unstable, just enough to scrape by.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a strong connotation of pity, hardship, and a lack of vitality or hope. It is frequently used in contexts describing poverty, illness, or the faint persistence of something.

Variants and Related Words

• Lây lất is the standard form. It is sometimes seen as lay lắt, which carries the same meaning.
• Lắt lay (adj/verb): to sway precariously; to be unstable or wobbly. While related in imagery of instability, it more often describes physical swaying.

Synonyms

• To scrape by: To manage to live with barely enough money or food.
• To eke out an existence: To make a living with great difficulty.
• To linger: To remain in existence, often weakly.
• To flicker: To burn or shine unsteadily (for light/flame).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Sống lây lất qua ngày: This is the most common collocation, meaning "to live a hand-to-mouth existence" or "to live from day to day."
• Còn lây lất: Means "to still be lingering (weakly)."
  • Hy vọng duy nhất giờ chỉ còn lây lất. (The only hope now is just barely flickering.)

verb

1. to last
   • sống lây lất qua ngày
     to live from day to day