Definition

Noun: - Infirmity, disability: A physical or mental condition that significantly impairs a person's normal functions or activities, often resulting from injury, illness, or a congenital defect. It implies a state of being disabled or incapacitated. - Chronic ailment, chronic disability: A long-lasting or permanent condition that hinders normal physical or mental activity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau tai nạn, ông ấy phải sống chung với nhiều phế tật. (After the accident, he had to live with many infirmities.)
  • Các cựu chiến binh mang trên mình những phế tật do chiến tranh để lại. (The veterans carry the infirmities left by the war.)
  • Lòng nhân ái thể hiện qua sự giúp đỡ những người phế tật. (Compassion is shown through helping people with disabilities.)

Advanced Usage

• "đầy phế tật": full of infirmities, severely disabled.

  • Một cựu vận động viên, giờ đây ông ấy đã già và đầy phế tật. (A former athlete, he is now old and full of infirmities.)

• "người phế tật": a person with a disability, a disabled person.

  • Xã hội cần tạo điều kiện tốt hơn cho người phế tật. (Society needs to create better conditions for people with disabilities.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tật nguyền (n): Disability, handicap. This is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "phế tật".

  • Anh ấy bị tật nguyền từ nhỏ. (He has had a disability since childhood.)

• Khuyết tật (n): Disability, impairment. A more modern and commonly used term, often in formal or legal contexts.

  • Trung tâm hỗ trợ người khuyết tật. (A center supporting people with disabilities.)

• Phế nhân (n, somewhat archaic): An invalid; a person rendered incapable.

  • Không nên gọi họ là phế nhân. (We should not call them invalids.)

Synonyms

• Tàn tật: Crippled, disabled.
• Bất toại: Paralyzed, incapacitated (often more specific to paralysis).

Notes on Meaning and Usage

• Connotation: The word "phế tật" carries a somewhat heavy and formal tone. It can sound dated or even slightly harsh/impersonal in everyday modern speech, where "khuyết tật" or "tật nguyền" are often preferred.
• Scope: It typically refers to physical disabilities or chronic health conditions that limit major life activities. It is less commonly used for minor or temporary ailments.
• Etymology: The word is a Sino-Vietnamese compound from "phế" (廢 - to discard, to abandon, to become useless) and "tật" (疾 - disease, ailment). This etymology reinforces the meaning of a condition that renders a part of the body or the person less functional.

1. danh từ. (id) infirmity