Definition

Adjective: Hale and hearty; describing an elderly person who remains vigorous, agile, and full of vitality despite their advanced age.

Usage

The word quắc thước is used to describe an older person (typically middle-aged or elderly) who appears remarkably strong, healthy, energetic, and sharp for their age. It emphasizes a combination of physical robustness and mental alertness. It is a term of admiration and praise.

Examples

• (The 80-year-old man is still very hale and hearty.)
• (Although over 70, she walks in a vigorous and agile manner.)
• (Looking at the old man's robust appearance, no one would think he is nearly 90.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

• quắc thước often implies a contrast with the typical frailty associated with old age. It highlights an exceptional state of preserved health and vigor.
• The term can describe both physical appearance (e.g., upright posture, firm steps) and an energetic demeanor.
• It is almost exclusively used for people, not objects or abstract concepts.

Variants and Related Words

• Khoẻ mạnh: Healthy, strong (a more general term for good health at any age).
• Cường tráng: Sturdy, robust, powerfully built (often for younger or middle-aged adults).
• Lão luyện: Seasoned, veteran, experienced (emphasizes skill and experience gained with age, not necessarily physical vigor).
• Tráng kiện: (Literary) Hale and hearty, in prime condition (similar to quắc thước but can be used more broadly).

Synonyms

• Khoẻ khoắn: Healthy and energetic.
• Minh mẫn và khoẻ mạnh: Clear-minded and healthy (often used together to describe a healthy elderly person).
• Dẻo dai: Supple, enduring, resilient.

Antonyms

• Yếu ớt: Weak, feeble.
• Lụ khụ: Frail, doddering (describing the slow, unsteady movement of the very old or frail).
• Gần đất xa trời: (Idiom) Nearing the end of life, with one foot in the grave.

adj

1. hale and hearty