Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Slender; thin and frail: Describes a person's limbs or body parts as being disproportionately thin, delicate, and lacking in flesh or robustness. It often carries a connotation of being excessively thin and perhaps weak.
   • Tough; hard and chewy: Describes the texture of food, especially meat, as being unpleasantly hard, chewy, and not tender.
   • Harsh; sharp and unpleasant: Describes a taste or smell, such as that of fish sauce, as being overly strong, sharp, and lacking balance or mellowness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Slender):
  • Chân tay nhẳng. (Slender limbs.)
• Adjective (Tough):
  • Thịt bò dai nhẳng. (The beef is tough and chewy.)
• Adjective (Harsh):
  • Nước mắm cứng nhẳng. (The fish sauce has a harsh, sharp taste.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "nhẳng" is primarily used in descriptive, often colloquial contexts to emphasize an undesirable extreme of thinness, toughness, or harshness. It is not a neutral term like "mảnh khảnh" (slender) for thinness.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhẳng nhẵng (adj): An intensified form, emphasizing the state of being very thin and frail or very tough and chewy.

Synonyms

• Slender/Frail: gaunt, spindly, skinny.
• Tough: leathery, stringy, rubbery.
• Harsh: pungent, acrid, sharp.

Notes on Meaning

• The core concept unifying the meanings of "nhẳng" is an undesirable, often excessive quality—be it in physical form (too thin), texture (too tough), or flavor (too sharp). It describes a lack of pleasant plumpness, tenderness, or mildness.

1. Slender; thin and frail
   • Chân tai nhẳng
     Slender limbs