Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Pale, pallid: Describes a color, especially of the skin or complexion, that has lost its healthy, vivid, or natural hue, appearing faded, wan, or lacking in color intensity.
   • Faint, weak: Can describe a light that is dim or lacking in brightness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau cơn bệnh, khuôn mặt cô ấy trông rất nhợt. (After the illness, her face looked very pale.)
  • Màu sơn trên tường đã phai nhợt vì nắng. (The paint color on the wall has faded and become pale because of the sun.)
  • Ánh đèn nhợt nhạt không đủ sáng để đọc sách. (The faint light is not bright enough to read a book.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhợt nhạt": This is a common reduplicative form (từ láy) that emphasizes the state of being pale, faded, or weak. It often carries a slightly more negative or diminished connotation than the single word.
  • Nụ cười nhợt nhạt của anh ấy không che giấu được nỗi buồn. (His wan/pale smile could not hide the sadness.)
• "nhờn nhợt": Another reduplicative form, often implying an unpleasant, sickly, or rather pale quality (láy, ý giảm).
  • Màu xanh nhờn nhợt của bức tranh tạo cảm giác lạnh lẽo. (The palish/bluish-pale color of the painting creates a cold feeling.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhợt nhạt (adj): Pale, wan, faint.
• Nhờn nhợt (adj): Palish, rather pale, often with a slightly unpleasant tone.
• Tái nhợt (adj): Ashen, deathly pale (combines "tái" - pale/grey with "nhợt").
• Bợt nhợt (adj): Very pale, pallid (another reduplicative form).

Synonyms

• Tái: Pale, ashen (often due to shock, fear, or illness).
• Xanh xao: Pale, sallow (often suggesting a sickly, greenish-yellow pallor).
• Bạc: Faded, light-colored (more general for colors losing intensity).
• Nhạt: Light, faint, pale (general term for low color saturation or intensity).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary meaning of "nhợt" relates to color, most frequently applied to a person's complexion to indicate poor health, fatigue, or shock.
• It can extend metaphorically to describe things lacking vitality, strength, or vividness, such as light, sound (e.g., a faint voice), or even emotions.
• Distinguish from "nhạt", which is a more general term for "light" (in color), "faint," or "bland" (in taste). "Nhợt" often implies an undesirable loss of color or vitality.

1. Pale
   • Nước da nhợt nhạt
     To have a pale complexion
   • nhờn nhợt (láy, ý giảm) Palish, rather pale