thối ruỗng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Completely rotten / Putrid: Describes organic matter, especially flesh or wood, that has decayed to an advanced and repulsive state, often emitting a foul smell. It implies a state of total decomposition.
- Morally corrupt / Rotten to the core: Used figuratively to describe a system, organization, or person that is thoroughly corrupt, degenerate, and beyond redemption.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (Literal):
- Trái cây bỏ quên trong tủ đã thối ruỗng. (The fruit forgotten in the cupboard had become completely rotten.)
- Xác động vật nằm ở bờ sông, thối ruỗng. (The animal carcass lay by the riverbank, putrid.)
- Adjective (Figurative):
- Chế độ đó đã thối ruỗng từ bên trong. (That regime was rotten to the core from within.)
- Bộ máy quan liêu thối ruỗng cần phải được thay đổi. (The rotten bureaucracy needs to be changed.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is stronger and more vivid than just "thối" (rotten). It emphasizes a state of advanced, pervasive decay, often implying something is unsalvageable.
- In political or social commentary, it is a powerful condemnatory term.
Variants and Related Words
- Thối (adj): Rotten, decayed. A more general and common term.
- Thịt thối. (Rotten meat.)
- Mục ruỗng (adj): Rotten through (often for wood or structural things); can also be used figuratively for institutions.
- Cây cột gỗ mục ruỗng. (The wooden pillar is rotten through.)
Synonyms
- Putrid: Decayed and emitting a foul smell.
- Rotten to the core: Thoroughly corrupt or decayed.
- Decomposed: Having undergone decomposition.
Related Idioms
- While "thối ruỗng" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, its figurative use is idiomatic in nature, conveying complete moral or systemic decay.