Definition

1. Noun (Medical):

   • Dyshidrosis / Dyshidrotic eczema: A specific skin condition characterized by the appearance of small, deep-seated, itchy blisters, typically on the palms of the hands, sides of the fingers, and soles of the feet. These blisters resemble the eggs of a water bug ("đỉa" means leech, used here metaphorically).

2. Adjective (Figurative, Colloquial):

   • Extremely tattered, messy, or disorderly: Used to describe something (often clothing, a place, or a situation) that is in a state of complete disarray, torn up, or chaotic, akin to the messy appearance of a dyshidrosis blister or an old nest.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Medical):

  • Anh ấy được chẩn đoán mắc bệnh tổ đỉa. (He was diagnosed with dyshidrosis.)
  • Các nốt tổ đỉa trên tay gây ngứa dữ dội. (The dyshidrotic blisters on the hand cause intense itching.)

• Adjective (Figurative):

  • Quần áo của nó rách như tổ đỉa. (His clothes are as tattered as can be.)
  • Căn phòng trông như tổ đỉa sau bữa tiệc. (The room looked like a complete mess after the party.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative usage is very common in everyday Vietnamese to emphasize a high degree of messiness or disrepair. It often appears in the simile "rách như tổ đỉa" (torn to shreds, literally "as torn as dyshidrosis").

Variants and Related Words

• Bệnh tổ đỉa (n): Dyshidrosis (the disease).
• Eczema tổ đỉa (n): Dyshidrotic eczema (a more clinical term).

Synonyms

• Medical: Dyshidrosis, pompholyx, dyshidrotic eczema.
• Figurative: Tattered, ragged, messy, disorderly, chaotic.

Related Idioms

• Rách như tổ đỉa: An idiom meaning "extremely torn/tattered" or, by extension, "in a complete mess."
  • Chiếc áo cũ rách như tổ đỉa. (The old shirt is completely tattered.)