thua cháy
Definition
- Idiom:
- To lose disastrously / to suffer a crushing defeat: This idiom describes a situation of losing by a very large margin, especially in games, competitions, or bets, implying a complete and utter loss.
- To lose everything / to be cleaned out: It can also convey the sense of losing so badly that one loses all of one's money, resources, or stake.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Đội nhà thua cháy với tỉ số 0-7. (The home team suffered a crushing defeat with a score of 0-7.)
- Anh ta đánh bạc và thua cháy sạch túi. (He gambled and was cleaned out, losing all his money.)
Advanced Usage
- The idiom is often used hyperbolically to emphasize the totality of a loss, not necessarily limited to financial contexts. It can describe failing an exam by a huge margin or losing a business deal catastrophically.
Variants and Related Words
Thua đậm (idiom): to lose heavily, to be soundly defeated.
- Chúng tôi thua đậm trong trận chung kết. (We were soundly defeated in the final match.)
Thua lỗ (verb phrase): to incur a loss (often financial).
- Công ty đang thua lỗ nặng. (The company is incurring heavy losses.)
Synonyms
- To be trounced: to be defeated heavily.
- To be wiped out: to lose all of one's money or resources completely.
- To take a drubbing: to suffer a severe defeat.
Related Idioms
Thua trắng tay: to lose everything, to be left empty-handed.
- Sau vụ đầu tư đó, ông ấy thua trắng tay. (After that investment, he lost everything and was left empty-handed.)
Thua keo này, bày keo khác: (lit. lose this round, set up another) to try again after a failure.
- Đừng nản chí, thua keo này ta bày keo khác. (Don't be discouraged; if we lose this round, we'll set up another.)