lõ lẽo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Excessively thin or skinny: Describes a person or animal who is extremely lean, gaunt, or emaciated, often to an unhealthily noticeable degree. It implies a lack of flesh and a prominent, bony appearance.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ đói ăn trông lõ lẽo. (The malnourished child looks terribly skinny.)
- Sau trận ốm, anh ấy lõ lẽo hẳn đi. (After the illness, he became very gaunt.)
- Con mèo hoang ăn ít nên người lõ lẽo. (The stray cat eats little, so its body is scrawny.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "lõ lẽo" is often used to evoke a sense of pity or concern for the subject's poor health or poor living conditions. It is more expressive and carries a stronger negative connotation than the neutral word "gầy" (thin).
Variants and Related Words
- Lõ khõ (adj): A near-synonym also meaning very thin and bony.
- Ông cụ lõ khõ vì tuổi già. (The old man is bony because of old age.)
Synonyms
- Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony, often because of suffering or age.
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially due to illness or lack of food.
- Scrawny: Unattractively thin and bony.
- Skinny: Informal for very thin.
Related Idioms
- While "lõ lẽo" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in descriptive phrases highlighting poor health or poverty, such as "" (a person gaunt from hunger).