Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Ragged; in rags: Describes clothing or fabric that is severely torn, tattered, and worn out, often due to poverty or long use.
   • Shabby; dilapidated: Can describe objects or dwellings that are in a very poor, broken-down, and neglected condition.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Những đứa trẻ mặc quần áo rách rưới. (The children wore ragged clothes.)
  • Căn nhà trông thật rách rưới và bị bỏ hoang. (The house looked utterly dilapidated and abandoned.)
  • Bộ đồ rách rưới của ông lão cho thấy cuộc sống khó khăn. (The old man's tattered clothes showed a life of hardship.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to metaphorically describe something of very poor quality or condition, not just physical objects.
  • Bản báo cáo này viết một cách rách rưới, đầy lỗi. (This report is shabbily written, full of errors.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rách (adj): torn, ripped. A simpler, more general term for something torn.

  • Quyển sách bị rách bìa. (The book has a torn cover.)

• Tả tơi (adj): tattered to shreds; completely torn apart. Often implies a more severe state than "rách rưới" and can be used for non-physical states (e.g., hopes, plans).

  • Lá cờ bay phấp phới giờ đã tả tơi. (The flag that once fluttered is now tattered to shreds.)

Synonyms

• Tattered: torn and ragged.
• Shabby: in poor condition from long use.
• Dilapidated: (for buildings) in a state of disrepair.
• Threadbare: (for fabric) worn thin.

Related Idioms

• Nghèo rớt mồng tơi: (idiom) extremely poor, destitute. This idiom emphasizes poverty, which is often associated with a "rách rưới" appearance.
  • Sau trận bão, nhiều ngư dân lâm vào cảnh nghèo rớt mồng tơi. (After the storm, many fishermen were left destitute.)

adj

1. ragged; in rags