Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely pitiful, wretched, or tragic: Describes a situation, condition, or scene that evokes intense feelings of sorrow, pity, and distress due to its extreme misfortune or suffering.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cảnh tượng sau trận động đất thật thảm thê. (The scene after the earthquake was truly wretched.)
  • Câu chuyện về cuộc đời cô ấy nghe rất thảm thê. (The story of her life sounds extremely tragic.)
  • Họ sống trong một căn nhà tồi tàn, hoàn cảnh thảm thê. (They live in a dilapidated house, their circumstances are pitiful.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "thảm thê" is often used for dramatic emphasis and carries a stronger emotional weight than its synonym "thê thảm", intensifying the sense of misery or tragedy.

Variants and Related Words

• Thê thảm (adj): Pitiful, miserable, tragic. This is a close synonym, though often considered slightly less intense.
  • Kết cục của nhân vật phản diện khá thê thảm. (The villain's outcome was quite miserable.)

Synonyms

• Wretched: Characterized by misery or misfortune.
• Pitiful: Deserving or arousing pity.
• Tragic: Extremely sad, often involving death or suffering.
• Deplorable: Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad.

Related Idioms

• Thảm thê thảm thiết: An intensified phrase meaning deeply and sorrowfully pitiful, often used to describe a lamentable situation or a mournful sound.
  • Tiếng khóc của người mẹ nghe thảm thê thảm thiết. (The mother's crying sounded deeply mournful and pitiful.)