thoi thóp
Definition
- Adjective/Adverb (used as a predicate):
- Gasping faintly; breathing one's last: Describes the very weak, irregular, and labored breathing of a person or animal that is dying or on the verge of death. It implies a barely perceptible sign of life.
- On the brink of extinction/failure: Used figuratively to describe something (e.g., a project, business, tradition) that is barely surviving or functioning, clinging weakly to existence.
Usage Examples
- Literal (Breathing):
- Bệnh nhân chỉ còn thoi thóp. (The patient is only breathing his last.)
- Con chim bị thương nằm thoi thóp trên mặt đất. (The injured bird lay gasping faintly on the ground.)
- Figurative (Survival):
- Công ty đó giờ chỉ còn thoi thóp. (That company is now just barely hanging on.)
- Ngọn lửa trong lò sưởi đã thoi thóp sắp tắt. (The fire in the fireplace was flickering weakly, about to go out.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in a reduplicative form for emphasis, though the base form is already expressive of a weak, intermittent state.
- It can function descriptively after verbs like "còn" (to still be) or "thở" (to breathe), e.g., "" (to breathe faintly).
Variants and Related Words
- Thở thoi thóp (verb phrase): to breathe faintly/gaspingly.
- Nạn nhân thở thoi thóp trong vòng tay lính cứu hỏa. (The victim was breathing faintly in the firefighter's arms.)
Synonyms
- Gasping: Taking short, convulsive breaths.
- Moribund: At the point of death; in a state of terminal decline.
- Flickering: (Figurative) Burning or shining unsteadily; about to be extinguished.
- Hanging by a thread: (Idiomatic) In a very precarious state.
Related Idioms
- While "thoi thóp" itself is often used in idiomatic contexts, there is no common, fixed Vietnamese idiom that uses it as a component. Its primary idiomatic use is the figurative application described above.