lắt lẻo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Precarious, unsteady, or shaky at a height: Describes something that is unstable, wobbly, or insecure because it is positioned high up, creating a sense of danger or lack of firm support.
- Rickety, tottering: Can describe an object or structure that is not firmly fixed and seems likely to fall or collapse.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Chiếc thang đặt lắt lẻo trên vách đá. (The ladder was placed precariously on the cliff face.)
- Đứa trẻ ngồi lắt lẻo trên cành cây cao. (The child sat unsteadily on the high tree branch.)
- Cái ghế này lắt lẻo quá, sắp gãy rồi. (This chair is too rickety; it's about to break.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "lắt lẻo" often carries a connotation of visible or perceptible instability, implying a risk of falling from a height. It is frequently used to warn of physical danger.
Variants and Related Words
- Chông chênh (adj): Also means precarious or unsteady, often used interchangeably with "lắt lẻo", though "chông chênh" can sometimes refer more to an unbalanced state rather than specifically a high place.
- Tình hình tài chính của công ty đang rất chông chênh. (The company's financial situation is very precarious.)
Synonyms
- Precarious: Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
- Unsteady: Not firmly fixed, supported, or balanced.
- Rickety: Poorly made and likely to collapse.
- Tottering: Moving in a feeble or unsteady way.
Related Idioms
- While "lắt lẻo" itself is not commonly part of a fixed idiom, its meaning contributes to descriptive phrases about danger and instability, such as describing a "vị trí lắt lẻo" (a precarious position) either literally or figuratively.