Definition

Adjective: 1. Having little length in space or duration: Describes something that measures a small distance from end to end or lasts for a brief period of time. 2. Brief, concise: Describes something expressed using few words or lasting a short time.

Usage Examples

• Describing physical length:
  • Cô ấy có mái tóc ngắn. (She has short hair.)
  • Con đường này ngắn hơn con đường kia. (This road is shorter than that one.)
• Describing duration:
  • Buổi họp rất ngắn. (The meeting was very short/brief.)
  • Mùa đông năm nay ngắn hơn mọi năm. (This winter is shorter than usual.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngắn gọn": concise, succinct.
  • Hãy trình bày ngắn gọn và rõ ràng. (Please present it concisely and clearly.)
• "cắt ngắn" / "rút ngắn": to shorten, to cut short.
  • Chúng tôi phải rút ngắn chuyến đi. (We have to shorten the trip.)
• "tầm nhìn ngắn": short-sighted (literal or figurative).
  • Đó là một quyết định tầm nhìn ngắn. (That was a short-sighted decision.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngắn ngủi (adj): fleeting, transient, very brief (often for life or time).
  • Hạnh phúc thật ngắn ngủi. (Happiness is so fleeting.)
• Ngắn cũn (adj, colloquial): very short, stubby.
  • Chiếc áo ngắn cũn. (The shirt is very short/stubby.)

Synonyms

• Cụt: truncated, cut short (implies an abrupt end).
• Vắn (literary): short (less common, often in poetic contexts).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bóc ngắn cắn dài: To live beyond one's means; to spend more than one earns.
  • Cứ bóc ngắn cắn dài thì sớm muộn cũng hết tiền. (If you keep spending more than you earn, you'll run out of money sooner or later.)
• Giọt ngắn giọt dài: To weep bitterly; to cry one's eyes out.
  • Nghe tin buồn, cô ấy khóc giọt ngắn giọt dài. (Hearing the sad news, she cried her eyes out.)
• Sông sâu sào ngắn khôn dò: (Proverb) Literally "Deep river, short pole, impossible to measure." Means a difficult situation with inadequate means to handle it.

adj

1. short; brief
   • đời sống ngắn ngủi
     short life