Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Financially strapped; in need; short of money: The primary meaning describes a state of lacking sufficient money or resources, experiencing economic hardship or poverty.
   • Being in a difficult position; being in a tight spot; embarrassed: This extends to a general state of being in a difficult or embarrassing situation due to a lack of necessary means.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Gia đình anh ấy đang rất túng thiếu. (His family is in great financial need.)
  • Tôi túng thiếu đến mức không thể mua thuốc. (I am so short of money that I cannot buy medicine.)
  • Họ lâm vào cảnh túng thiếu sau trận bão. (They fell into a state of destitution after the storm.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often implies a persistent or chronic state of need, rather than a temporary cash shortage. It conveys a sense of being constrained and unable to meet basic requirements.

Variants and Related Words

• Túng quẫn (adj): destitute; in dire straits (often implies a more severe, desperate level of poverty and difficulty).

  • Công ty đang trong tình trạng túng quẫn. (The company is in a dire financial situation.)

• Khó khăn (adj): difficult; hard (a broader term for difficulty, which can include but is not limited to financial hardship).

  • Họ gặp khó khăn về tài chính. (They are facing financial difficulties.)

Synonyms

• Needy: lacking the necessities of life.
• Impoverished: very poor.
• Hard up: (informal) lacking money.
• Destitute: extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself.

Related Idioms

• Túng thiếu túng thắt: to be in extreme want; to be hard-pressed.

  • Thời điểm đó, họ túng thiếu túng thắt. (At that time, they were in extreme want.)

• Đầu tắt mặt tối vẫn túng thiếu: to work tirelessly from dawn to dusk yet still be in need.

  • Bà ấy làm việc đầu tắt mặt tối vẫn túng thiếu. (She works tirelessly yet is still in need.)