lụp xụp
Definition
- Adjective:
- Low and shabby, dilapidated: Describes something (typically a structure like a house) that is very low to the ground, small, and in a state of disrepair or poverty.
- Squalid, wretched: Conveys a sense of being miserable, rundown, and of very poor quality.
Usage
- Primary Usage: Used almost exclusively to describe buildings, huts, or shelters that are poorly constructed, very humble, and often falling apart.
- Nuance: The word strongly emphasizes both the physical low height and the impoverished, tattered condition. It is more vivid and descriptive than simply saying "old" or "small."
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Những ngôi nhà lụp xụp nằm dọc theo con kênh. (Low, shabby houses line the canal.)
- Căn nhà tranh lụp xụp ấy là tổ ấm của họ. (That dilapidated thatched hut is their home.)
- Khu ổ chuột toàn là những căn nhà lụp xụp. (The slum is full of wretched, squalid houses.)
Advanced Usage
- While primarily describing houses, it can be used metaphorically for other structures or even clusters of things that appear low, messy, and rundown.
- Một dãy quán hàng lụp xụp ven đường. (A row of low, shabby stalls by the roadside.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lụp xụp is the standard form. The variant lụp sụp (as seen in "nhà lụp sụp") carries the same meaning and is also commonly used.
- Tồi tàn (adj): Dilapidated, ruined. A close synonym but without the specific connotation of being "low."
- Xiêu vẹo (adj): Rickety, leaning, about to collapse. Describes instability rather than low height and poverty.
Synonyms
- Tồi tàn: Dilapidated, ruined.
- Nghèo nàn: Poor, impoverished (more general, can describe conditions beyond physical structures).
- Thấp bé: Low and small (focuses on size, not necessarily condition).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Nhà lụp xụp: A very common collocation meaning a low, shabby house or hut. This is the most typical use of the word.
- Anh ấy lớn lên trong một ngôi nhà lụp xụp. (He grew up in a low, shabby house.)
adj
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low
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nhà lụp sụplow-roofed house
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