Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Distressed; in dire straits: Describes a state of extreme mental or emotional distress, often accompanied by confusion and an inability to think clearly due to overwhelming pressure, poverty, or hardship.
   • Bewildered; muddled: Refers to a state of mental confusion or dullness, where one's thoughts are not sharp or clear, often due to old age, shock, or extreme trouble.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông ấy cảm thấy rất quẫn vì nợ nần. (He feels very distressed because of debt.)
  • Bà cụ già quá nên đâm ra quẫn trí. (The old lady has become rather muddled because she is so old.)
  • Tình thế quẫn bách khiến anh không thể suy nghĩ thấu đáo. (The dire situation prevented him from thinking thoroughly.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often implies a state of being trapped or cornered by circumstances, leading to mental strain. It is frequently used to describe a compounded state of financial trouble and psychological pressure.

Variants and Related Words

• Quẫn bách (adj): pressing; urgent and distressing (often describing a situation).

  • Hoàn cảnh quẫn bách buộc anh phải hành động. (The pressing circumstances forced him to act.)

• Quẫn trí (adj): mentally confused or deranged due to extreme worry or age.

  • Lo lắng quá nhiều có thể khiến người ta quẫn trí. (Excessive worry can make people mentally confused.)

Synonyms

• Distressed: suffering from anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
• Bewildered: perplexed and confused.
• Hard-pressed: in severe difficulty, especially financial.
• Muddled: confused in one's thinking.

Related Idioms

• Đâm ra quẫn: to become confused or mentally dull (often with age or stress).

  • Công việc khó khăn quá, tôi sợ mình sẽ đâm ra quẫn. (The work is too difficult; I'm afraid I'll become muddled.)

• Quẫn chí: to become discouraged or lose heart due to repeated failures or hardships.

  • Thất bại liên tiếp khiến anh ấy gần như quẫn chí. (Consecutive failures made him almost lose heart.)