Definition

1. Adjective (describing a plant):

   • Perennial; long-lived: A plant that lives for more than two years, typically flowering and producing seeds over multiple seasons. This is the primary botanical meaning.
   • Hardy; tenacious: Describes a plant that is difficult to kill, can survive in harsh conditions, or persists stubbornly.

2. Adjective (describing a person or animal, figurative):

   • Long-lived; surviving against odds: A person or animal who lives a very long life, often despite challenges or poor health.
   • Tenacious; stubbornly persistent: Someone who clings to life or a situation with great determination.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (plant):

  • Hoa hồng là một loại cây sống dai. (Roses are a type of perennial plant.)
  • Cỏ dại sống dai đến mức rất khó diệt trừ. (The weeds are so hardy that they are very difficult to eradicate.)

• Adjective (person/animal, figurative):

  • Cụ ông ấy sống dai thật, đã gần 100 tuổi rồi. (That old man is really long-lived, he's almost 100 years old.)
  • Con mèo bị thương ấy sống dai hơn mọi người dự đoán. (The injured cat survived longer than everyone expected.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "sống dai" often carries a slightly informal or colloquial tone when applied to people, implying admiration for toughness or surprise at persistence. It can sometimes be used humorously or critically.
  • Công ty đó sống dai thật, khủng hoảng thế mà vẫn không phá sản. (That company is really tenacious; it still hasn't gone bankrupt despite the crisis.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cây sống dai / Cây lâu năm (n): Perennial plant.

  • Vườn nhà tôi trồng nhiều cây sống dai. (My garden has many perennial plants.)

• Sống lâu (v): To live a long life (neutral term, without the connotation of tenacity).

  • Mọi người đều mong muốn sống lâu và khỏe mạnh. (Everyone wishes to live a long and healthy life.)

Synonyms

• Perennial: (for plants) lasting through many years.
• Hardy: robust; capable of enduring difficult conditions.
• Tenacious: persistent; stubborn.
• Long-lived: having a long life span.

Related Idioms

• Sống dai bằng ngựa: (Lit. to live as long as a horse) To live a very long life.

  • Chúc bà sống dai bằng ngựa. (I wish you a very long life.)

• Sống dai trở thành...: (Lit. living long turns into...) A phrase suggesting that surviving too long in a situation can lead to becoming a nuisance or an unwanted element.

  • Ở công ty cũ lâu quá, giờ tôi sợ mình sống dai trở thành gánh nặng. (I've been at the old company too long; now I'm afraid my persistence has turned me into a burden.)

1. (thực vật) Perennial