Definition

Noun (used primarily in the predicate position, often functioning as a stative verb/adjective in Vietnamese grammar) * To be extremely tired from walking; to have one's legs worn out or exhausted from a long journey on foot. The term vividly describes the physical state where one's legs feel weak, heavy, or nearly unable to continue walking due to fatigue.

Usage

• The phrase "rạc cẳng" is a colloquial, expressive term. It is typically used to emphasize the exhaustion resulting specifically from walking long distances.
• It often appears in the structure: "đi rạc cẳng" (to walk until one's legs are exhausted).
• It describes a state or result, not an action. You use it to say you "rạc cẳng," not that you "rạc cẳng."

Usage Examples

• (After hiking, I felt my legs were worn out.)
• (Walking all day in the old quarter, the tourists were exhausted.)
• (The road back to the hometown is long; we walked until our legs gave out but still haven't arrived.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

• The term carries a connotation of hardship or an unexpectedly long and tiring trek. It's often used in narratives about travel, pilgrimage, or difficult journeys.
• It can be used hyperbolically to express tiredness from walking, even if not over an extreme distance.

Variants and Related Words

• Mỏi chân / Mỏi cẳng: A more standard and common way to say "to have tired legs." "Rạc cẳng" is stronger and more vivid.
• Rã rời: (Adjective) - To be utterly exhausted, worn out (can refer to the whole body or spirit, not just legs).
• Kiệt sức: (Adjective/Verb) - To be exhausted, depleted of strength.

Synonyms

• Leg-weary
• Dead on one's feet (idiom)
• Walked to exhaustion

Related Idioms / Expressions

• Đi bộ thảm hại: (Phrase) - To have a miserable/wretched walk (often due to tiredness or bad conditions). This describes the experience, while "rạc cẳng" describes the resulting physical state.
• Chân tay rã rời: (Idiom) - Limbs feeling weak and heavy; completely worn out. This is a broader term that includes "rạc cẳng."

noun

1. tire oneself out by walking