Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Poor and lowly: Describes a state of being both materially impoverished and of low social status or humble origin. It conveys a combined sense of economic poverty and social insignificance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Xuất thân từ một gia đình nghèo hèn, ông ấy đã phấn đấu không ngừng. (Coming from a poor and lowly family, he strived relentlessly.)
  • Họ không bao giờ khinh rẻ những người nghèo hèn. (They never look down on the poor and lowly.)
  • Số phận nghèo hèn khiến anh ta không có cơ hội học hành. (A poor and lowly fate left him without educational opportunities.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in literary or formal contexts to evoke sympathy or to highlight social injustice, emphasizing the dual burden of poverty and low social standing.

Variants and Related Words

• Nghèo khó (adj): poor, needy (focuses more on material lack).
  • Một vùng quê nghèo khó. (A poor and needy rural area.)
• Hèn mọn (adj): mean, lowly, petty (focuses more on low status or character).
  • Tư tưởng hèn mọn. (A petty mindset.)

Synonyms

• Destitute and humble: Lacking basic necessities and having a lowly position.
• Impoverished and low-born: Very poor and from a lower social class.

Related Idioms

• Nghèo hèn nhưng không hèn hạ: Poor and lowly but not base or dishonorable. This phrase emphasizes maintaining dignity despite one's circumstances.
  • Ông ấy sống theo châm ngôn "nghèo hèn nhưng không hèn hạ". (He lives by the motto "poor and lowly but not dishonorable.")

1. poor and low