lở
Definition
- Verb:
- To crumble / to erode / to collapse: Refers to a structure or mass breaking apart or falling down in pieces, often due to natural forces or decay. For example, a cliffside crumbling, a wall eroding, or a landslide occurring.
- To develop sores / to ulcerate: Used in a medical context to describe the skin breaking out in pustules or ulcers that may ooze and spread, such as in impetigo.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to crumble/collapse):
- Vách đá bị lở sau trận mưa lớn. (The cliff face crumbled after the heavy rain.)
- Tường nhà cũ đã lở một mảng. (A section of the old house wall has collapsed.)
- Verb (to develop sores):
- Đứa bé bị lở miệng. (The child has mouth ulcers.)
- Vết thương bắt đầu lở và lan rộng. (The wound began to ulcerate and spread.)
Advanced Usage
- "lở đất" / "lở núi": landslide, rockfall.
- Con đường bị chặn do lở đất. (The road was blocked by a landslide.)
- "lở loét": to be ulcerated; covered in sores.
- Vùng da đó bị lở loét nặng. (That skin area is severely ulcerated.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sạt lở (v/n): to slide, to slip; a landslide. Emphasizes a sudden, sliding collapse.
- Sạt lở đất đe dọa ngôi làng. (A landslide threatens the village.)
- Lở miệng (v): to have mouth ulcers.
- Lở mồm long móng (n): foot-and-mouth disease (veterinary).
Synonyms
- Crumble: to break into small fragments.
- Erode: to wear away gradually.
- Ulcerate: to form an ulcer or sore.
Related Idioms
- Lở chợ: (literally: "market erosion") Used to describe a marketplace that is poorly attended or business that is slow and declining.
- Buổi sáng, chợ trông hơi lở. (In the morning, the market looks rather deserted/slow.)