Definition

1. Adjective:
   • To look older than one's actual age; to appear prematurely aged: Describes a person whose physical appearance shows signs of aging or decline that are more advanced than what is typical for their chronological age, often due to factors like illness, hardship, or exhaustion.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau cơn bạo bệnh, ông ấy trông sọm người hẳn đi. (After the severe illness, he looked much older than his age.)
  • Lo lắng và làm việc quá sức khiến cô ấy sọm người. (Worry and overwork have made her look prematurely aged.)
  • Đừng để những muộn phiền khiến mình sọm người. (Don't let sorrows make you look older than you are.)

Advanced Usage Notes

• "sọm người" is primarily used to describe a person's physical appearance, not their mental state. It emphasizes a visible, often sudden or concerning, contrast between one's looks and one's actual years.
• It often carries a tone of pity, concern, or observation about the impacts of difficult circumstances on a person's physique.
• While the reference mentions "déchéance physique" (physical decay) and "sénilité précoce" (premature senility), "sọm người" in common Vietnamese usage is less clinical and more about general appearance than specifically denoting senility.

Variants and Related Words

• Già trước tuổi: A near-synonymous phrase meaning "to age prematurely" or "to be old before one's time." It can be used interchangeably with "sọm người" in many contexts.
• Héo hon: Describes a withered, gaunt appearance, often due to sickness or grief. It can be a result or a state that makes one "sọm người".
• Tiều tụy: Means haggard, worn-out, and drained, often leading to or describing a "sọm người" appearance.

Synonyms

• Già sớm: To age early.
• Trông già hơn tuổi: To look older than one's age (a more literal, descriptive phrase).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Gánh nặng cuộc đời làm sọm người": The burdens of life make one look old before their time.
• "Bệnh tật hành hạ đến sọm người": To be tormented by illness until one looks prematurely aged.

Important Note

• "sọm người" is an adjective phrase. It is not typically broken down into separate phrasal verb components in Vietnamese. Its meaning is holistic and fixed within this two-word structure.

1. Get older than one's age
   • Sau một thời gian bị bệnh, anh ta trông sọm người đi
     After a period of illness, he lookedolder than his age