Definition

1. Adjective (colloquial):
   • Empty-handed, unsuccessful: Describes the state of returning from an activity, especially hunting, fishing, or seeking something, with absolutely nothing gained or achieved.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đi kiếm cá, nhưng suông tình. (I went fishing but came back empty-handed.)
  • Nó đi săn cả ngày, kết quả vẫn suông tình. (He went hunting all day, the result was still that he got nothing.)
  • Chúng tôi đi đàm phán, nhưng cuộc nói chuyện suông tình. (We went to negotiate, but the conversation yielded no results.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is inherently colloquial and often carries a tone of disappointment or mild frustration. It is frequently used to describe failed efforts in contexts where a tangible gain (like food, money, or a deal) was expected.

Variants and Related Words

• Tay trắng (idiom): to have empty hands; to have nothing, often after an effort. This can be similar but sometimes implies a starting or ending point of having no possessions, not just a failed attempt.
  • Anh ấy khởi nghiệp với hai bàn tay trắng. (He started his business with nothing.)

Synonyms

• Empty-handed: having gotten or achieved nothing.
• Unsuccessful: not achieving a desired goal.
• Bredouille (French loan context): a French term used in Vietnamese contexts to mean returning from hunting with no game.

Related Idioms

• Ăn cơm nhà đi vác ngà voi: to do something futile or to work for a benefit that goes to others, often leading to a "suông tình" outcome.
  • Giúp hắn xong, mình chẳng được gì, đúng là ăn cơm nhà đi vác ngà voi, suông tình. (After helping him, I got nothing. It's truly a futile effort, completely empty-handed.)

1. (thông tục) Come back empty-handed
   • Đi kiếm cá, nhưng suông tình
     To go fishing and come back empty-handed