lẻo khẻo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Physically weak and thin, appearing frail and lacking vitality: Describes a person or living being who is skinny and feeble, often suggesting a lack of strength and a fragile constitution due to illness, malnutrition, or natural build.
- Scrawny, puny: Can describe something that is unsubstantial, thin, and weak in appearance.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cậu bé trông hơi lẻo khẻo. (The boy looks a bit scrawny and weak.)
- Sau trận ốm, ông ấy đi lại lẻo khẻo. (After the illness, he walks about looking very frail.)
- Cây cối lẻo khẻo thiếu nước. (The plants are scrawny from lack of water.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "lẻo khẻo" often carries a tone of pity or mild criticism regarding someone's physical state. It is more descriptive than clinical.
- It can sometimes be used metaphorically to describe something insubstantial or feeble, though this is less common.
- Lập luận của anh ta nghe lẻo khẻo. (His argument sounds feeble.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lẻo khoẻo (adj): A common variant with the same meaning: frail, puny.
- Bà cụ lẻo khoẻo chống gậy. (The old woman, frail and thin, leaned on a cane.)
Synonyms
- Frail: Weak and delicate.
- Scrawny: Unattractively thin and bony.
- Puny: Small and weak.
- Gaunt: Lean and haggard, often from suffering.
- Feeble: Lacking physical strength.
Related Idioms
- While "lẻo khẻo" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its meaning is central to descriptions of frailty. A related concept is:
- Gầy nhom, gầy tong: (Colloquial) To be skin and bones, extremely thin.
- Ốm dậy, nó gầy nhom gầy tong. (After being sick, he became nothing but skin and bones.)