Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Weak; feeble: Describes a person, animal, or thing that lacks physical strength, vitality, or robustness.
   • Fragile; vulnerable: Describes something that is delicate, easily broken, or lacking in resilience or defensive capacity.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận ốm, cơ thể cô ấy trở nên non yếu. (After the illness, her body became weak.)
  • Thành lũy này non yếu, khó có thể chống cự lâu. (This fortress is vulnerable and unlikely to hold out for long.)
  • Những cây non yếu ớt cần được bảo vệ khỏi gió mạnh. (The fragile young plants need protection from strong winds.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in formal or literary contexts to describe abstract concepts like arguments, positions, or economies that are weak or untenable.
  • Lập luận của họ tỏ ra non yếu trước những bằng chứng mới. (Their argument proved weak in the face of new evidence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Yếu ớt (adj): feeble, frail. A near-synonymous compound that emphasizes a state of being weak and delicate.
  • Ngọn nến yếu ớt cuối cùng cũng tắt. (The feeble candle finally went out.)

Synonyms

• Weak: Lacking physical strength or energy.
• Feeble: Pathetically weak; lacking strength or effectiveness.
• Fragile: Easily broken or damaged; delicate.
• Vulnerable: Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.

Related Idioms

• Non yếu chân tay: Literally "weak limbs"; used to describe physical feebleness.
  • Ông cụ non yếu chân tay nhưng trí óc vẫn minh mẫn. (The old man is physically feeble but his mind remains sharp.)