Definition

1. Noun:
   • Slum: A house or dwelling that is extremely dilapidated, overcrowded, and unsanitary, typically located in a poor urban area. The term directly translates to "mouse/rat nest house," vividly conveying the idea of a squalid, vermin-infested living space.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Khu vực đó đầy những nhà ổ chuột. (That area is full of slums.)
  • Chính quyền đang có kế hoạch cải tạo các nhà ổ chuột. (The authorities are planning to renovate the slums.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe extreme poverty and urban decay: The term is often used not just for a single house but to describe entire areas characterized by severe poverty, poor infrastructure, and social issues.
  • Dự án nhằm mục đích xóa bỏ các khu nhà ổ chuột trong thành phố. (The project aims to eliminate slum areas in the city.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khu ổ chuột / Khu nhà ổ chuột (n): Slum area; slum district. This is a common compound term referring to a larger zone of slum dwellings.
  • Họ sinh ra và lớn lên trong một khu ổ chuột. (They were born and raised in a slum area.)
• Taudis (n): This is the direct loanword from French, used with the same meaning as "slum" or "hovel," though less common in everyday modern Vietnamese.

Synonyms

• Nhà tồi tàn: Dilapidated house; shanty.
• Nhà ổ chuột is a more vivid and critical synonym for khu nhà nghèo (poor housing area) or khu lao động (working-class area), emphasizing the worst conditions.

Related Phrases

• Sống trong nhà ổ chuột: To live in a slum.
  • Nhiều gia đình phải sống trong nhà ổ chuột vì không đủ tiền thuê nhà tốt hơn. (Many families have to live in slums because they don't have enough money to rent better housing.)

Related Idioms

• While not a direct idiom, the term nhà ổ chuột itself is often used metaphorically to criticize a very messy, dirty, or disorderly place.
  • Căn phòng của cậu ấy trông như một nhà ổ chuột vậy! (His room looks like a slum!)

1. Slum