Definition

1. Adjective (used in a predicate position):
   • Presentable; decent; worthwhile: Used to describe something or someone that meets a basic, acceptable standard of quality, appearance, or value. Often used in negative constructions to indicate the opposite.
   • Resembling its proper form: Used to indicate that something looks like or functions as it properly should. Commonly negated to mean something is so degraded it no longer resembles what it is supposed to be.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Căn nhà này sửa lại trông cũng ra hồn. (This house, after being renovated, looks quite presentable.)
  • Bài tập của nó làm chẳng ra hồn gì cả. (His homework is not done properly at all / is a mess.)
  • Ốm lâu quá, trông anh ta không còn ra hồn người nữa. (He has been sick for so long that he no longer looks like a proper human being.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in casual, colloquial speech, often with a critical or dismissive tone.
• It frequently appears in negative constructions like "không ra hồn" (not decent/presentable), "chẳng ra hồn" (not decent/presentable at all), or "không còn ra hồn" (no longer decent/resembling its form).

Variants and Related Words

• Ra gì: A similar colloquial phrase meaning "to amount to something" or "to be worthwhile," also often used negatively (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Presentable: Fit to be seen or considered.
• Decent: Of an acceptable standard.
• Worthwhile: Having value or merit.

Related Idioms

• Không ra hồn: The most common idiomatic usage, meaning "not up to par," "a complete mess," or "not resembling its proper form."
  • Cái áo bị rách, mặc không ra hồn. (The shirt is torn, wearing it makes you look a mess.)
• Chẳng ra hồn: A stronger, more emphatic negative form of "không ra hồn."
  • Bữa ăn nấu chẳng ra hồn. (The meal was cooked terribly.)

1. (thường dùng với ý phủ ddi.nh) Quite, fully
   • Trông không còn ra hồn người nữa
     Not to be quite a human being
2. Worth; presentable
   • Một thằng cha không ra hồn
     A worthless fellow