Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Emaciated, worn thin: Describes a physical state of being extremely thin and weak, often due to illness, hunger, or exhaustion. It refers to a body that has lost its flesh and vigor.
   • Wretched, pitiful, hardscrabble: Describes a difficult, unstable, and miserable state of life or existence, marked by hardship and struggle.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Physical State):

  • Sau trận ốm nặng, thân hình anh ta trông rất rạc rài. (After the serious illness, his body looked very emaciated.)
  • Những con vật bị bỏ đói trở nên rạc rài. (The starved animals became emaciated.)

• Adjective (State of Life):

  • Họ phải sống một cuộc sống rạc rài nơi đất khách. (They had to live a wretched life in a foreign land.)
  • Những năm tháng rạc rài ấy cuối cùng cũng qua đi. (Those hardscrabble years finally passed.)

Advanced Usage

• The word rạc rài is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a strong sense of physical decline or profound life difficulty. It carries a connotation of being worn down over time.

Variants and Related Words

• Rạc (adj): Often used in combination, can imply being thin, sparse, or weary.
• Rời rạc (adj): Scattered, disconnected, fragmented. While related in sound, it has a different primary meaning.

Synonyms

• Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak.
• Gaunt: Lean and haggard, especially from hunger or age.
• Wretched: In a state of deep misery or poverty.
• Hardscrabble: Involving hard work and struggle for basic necessities.

Related Idioms

• Sống rạc rài: To lead a wretched, struggling life.
  • Cả gia đình phải sống rạc rài qua ngày. (The whole family had to live a hand-to-mouth, wretched existence.)

1. Emaciated, worn thin