thiu thỉu
Definition
- Adjective:
- Slightly sour or spoiled: Describes a state where food, especially cooked rice or starchy items, has begun to ferment or turn sour due to heat and humidity, but is not fully rotten. It indicates the initial stage of spoilage.
- Limp, listless, or drooping: Used figuratively to describe a person's spirit, energy, or health as being in a low, weakened, or declining state.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cơm để lâu trong nồi bắt đầu thiu thỉu. (The rice left in the pot for too long is starting to turn slightly sour.)
- Sau trận ốm, anh ấy trông thiu thỉu, không có chút sức lực nào. (After the illness, he looks listless and has no energy at all.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in a reduplicative form for emphasis, which is its standard form. It describes a subtle, ongoing process rather than a sudden change.
Variants and Related Words
- Thiu (adj): Sour, spoiled (a stronger, more definitive state of spoilage than "thiu thỉu").
- Sữa này đã thiu, không uống được. (This milk has gone sour; it's undrinkable.)
Synonyms
- Souring: Beginning to turn acidic.
- Wilting: Losing freshness and becoming limp (for plants or figurative energy).
- Languid: Lacking energy or vitality.
Related Idioms
- Thiu thỉu như cơm nguội: (To be) as listless as stale rice. A simile describing someone who is utterly dispirited or lacking vitality.
- Cả ngày hôm nay nó thiu thỉu như cơm nguội, chẳng muốn làm gì. (He's been as listless as stale rice all day today, not wanting to do anything.)