Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Illiterate: Describes a person who cannot read or write, or who lacks basic literacy skills.
   • Unlettered: Lacking education, especially in reading and writing.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nhiều người cao tuổi ở vùng sâu vùng xa vẫn còn mù chữ. (Many elderly people in remote areas are still illiterate.)
  • Chính phủ đang nỗ lực xóa nạn mù chữ. (The government is making efforts to eradicate illiteracy.)
  • Một xã hội có tỷ lệ mù chữ cao sẽ gặp nhiều khó khăn trong phát triển. (A society with a high illiteracy rate will face many difficulties in development.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nạn mù chữ": The state or problem of illiteracy within a community or population.

  • Cuộc chiến chống nạn mù chữ là ưu tiên hàng đầu. (The fight against illiteracy is a top priority.)

• "Xóa mù chữ": The act or campaign of eradicating illiteracy; literacy campaign.

  • Chương trình xóa mù chữ cho người lớn đã đạt được những kết quả đáng kể. (The adult literacy program has achieved significant results.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nạn mù chữ (n): Illiteracy (the condition).
• Xóa mù chữ (v phrase): To eradicate illiteracy; to make literate.
• Mù chữ chức năng (n phrase): Functional illiteracy (the inability to use reading, writing, and calculation skills effectively for everyday tasks).

Synonyms

• Thất học: Uneducated; lacking formal schooling.
• Dốt nát: Ignorant (often with a stronger, more derogatory connotation of lacking knowledge in general).

Related Phrases

• Tái mù chữ: To relapse into illiteracy; to become illiterate again after having learned.
  • Nếu không thực hành thường xuyên, nguy cơ tái mù chữ là rất cao. (Without regular practice, the risk of relapsing into illiteracy is very high.)

Related Idioms

• (Mù như) mù chữ: (As blind as) an illiterate person. Used figuratively to describe someone who is completely ignorant or unaware of a specific subject or situation.
  • Về công nghệ, tôi mù như mù chữ. (When it comes to technology, I am completely in the dark / illiterate.)

1. Illiterate
   • Phong trào xóa nạm mù chữ
     The anti-illiteracy campaign