Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To lose flesh, to become thinner: To experience a noticeable reduction in body weight or physical mass, often due to illness, stress, or hardship.
   • To lose strength, to weaken: To experience a decline in physical vitality, energy, or overall health.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Sau trận ốm dài, anh ấy sút người đi trông thấy. (After a long illness, he noticeably lost flesh.)
  • Làm việc quá sức khiến cô ấy sút người và mệt mỏi. (Overworking caused her to lose strength and become fatigued.)
  • Chỉ một tháng lo lắng, nó đã sút người hẳn. (After just one month of worry, he has clearly weakened.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often describes a physical decline that is visible and concerning, typically resulting from a specific cause like sickness, overwork, or mental strain. It implies a negative change from a previous state of better health or robustness.

Variants and Related Words

• Sút cân (v): to lose weight.

  • Cô ấy sút cân vì chế độ ăn kiêng nghiêm ngặt. (She lost weight due to a strict diet.)

• Suy nhược (v/adj): to be debilitated, to be in a state of weakness or exhaustion.

  • Bệnh nhân đang trong tình trạng suy nhược cơ thể. (The patient is in a state of physical debilitation.)

Synonyms

• Waste away: to become progressively thinner and weaker.
• Emaciate: to become abnormally thin or weak.
• Weaken: to become less strong.

Related Idioms

• Sút người sút cân: to waste away, to become both thinner and weaker (emphasizing the full physical decline).
  • Thương con ốm, sút người sút cân. (Heartbroken over the sick child, who is wasting away.)

1. Lose flesh, lose strength