thua kém
Definition
- Verb:
- To be inferior to; to be less than: To be of lower quality, ability, status, or degree compared to someone or something else. It denotes a state of disadvantage or deficiency in a comparison.
- To be worse than; to be at a disadvantage: To be in a losing or less favorable position relative to a competitor or standard.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Chất lượng sản phẩm này thua kém sản phẩm kia. (The quality of this product is inferior to that product.)
- Anh ấy không thua kém ai về tài năng. (He is not inferior to anyone in terms of talent.)
- Đội bóng của chúng tôi thua kém đối thủ về thể lực. (Our football team is at a disadvantage compared to the opponent in terms of physical strength.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a comparative judgment within a specific context, such as skill, quality, or performance.
- It can be used in both concrete (e.g., specifications, scores) and abstract (e.g., courage, wisdom) comparisons.
Variants and Related Words
Thua (v): to lose (as in a game or competition).
- Họ đã thua trận đấu. (They lost the match.)
Kém (v/adj): to be poor/bad at; to be less/good at; inferior.
- Cô ấy kém tiếng Anh. (She is poor at English.)
Synonyms
- Be inferior to: To be of lower rank or quality.
- Be worse than: To be of lower standard.
- Lag behind: To fail to keep pace with others.
- Fall short: To fail to reach a standard.
Related Idioms
- Thua chị kém em: Literally "to lose to the older sister and be less than the younger sister." This idiom means to be inferior to others in general, not measuring up to people both older and younger, or to everyone around.
- Trong lớp, nó luôn có cảm giác thua chị kém em. (In class, he always feels inferior to everyone else.)