thiểu năng

Definition

  1. Adjective:

    • Intellectually disabled / Mentally deficient: A medical and psychological term describing significantly below-average intellectual functioning and impaired adaptive behavior, originating during the developmental period.
    • Insufficient / Deficient: In broader or compound medical terminology, it denotes a lack or inadequate function of a specific organ or system.

  2. Noun:

    • Intellectual disability: The condition of having significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.
Usage Examples

  • Adjective:

    • Trẻ thiểu năng trí tuệ cần sự hỗ trợ đặc biệt. (Intellectually disabled children need special support.)
    • Thiểu năng tuần hoàn não có thể gây chóng mặt. (Cerebral circulatory insufficiency can cause dizziness.)

  • Noun:

    • Cần có cách tiếp cận nhân văn hơn với người thiểu năng. (A more humane approach is needed towards people with intellectual disabilities.)
Advanced Usage

  • "thiểu năng trí tuệ": The formal and recommended term for "intellectual disability."

    • Chẩn đoán thiểu năng trí tuệ cần được thực hiện cẩn thận. (A diagnosis of intellectual disability must be made carefully.)

  • "thiểu năng vành" / "thiểu năng động mạch vành": Coronary insufficiency.

    • Bệnh nhân được chẩn đoán bị thiểu năng vành. (The patient was diagnosed with coronary insufficiency.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Thiểu năng tuần hoàn (n): Circulatory insufficiency.
  • Thiểu năng trí tuệ (n): Intellectual disability (the preferred modern term).
  • Thiểu số (n): Minority (shares the root "thiểu" meaning "few" or "deficient").
Synonyms
  • Intellectual disability: (Modern, preferred term) Significant limitations in intellectual and adaptive functioning.
  • Mental retardation: (Older clinical term, now considered outdated and offensive in many contexts).
  • Cognitive disability: A broader term encompassing various limitations in cognitive functioning.
  • Insufficiency: (In medical contexts) Inadequate function.
Important Note on Usage
  • The term "thiểu năng" used alone is often considered derogatory and stigmatizing in social contexts when referring to people. The recommended and respectful terminology is the full phrase "thiểu năng trí tuệ" (intellectual disability) or "khuyết tật trí tuệ" (intellectual impairment).
  • In purely medical descriptions of organ function (e.g., heart, circulation), "thiểu năng" remains a standard clinical term without negative social connotations.