tong teo
Definition
- Adjective:
- Very thin and withered: Describes a person, animal, or plant that is extremely skinny, gaunt, and appears dried up or shriveled, often due to poor health, malnutrition, or age. It implies a more severe state than just "thin" (ốm/gầy).
- Scrawny and desiccated: Conveys a sense of being all skin and bones, lacking flesh and moisture, giving a brittle or dry appearance.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ông cụ ốm tong teo sau trận ốm dài. (The old man became scrawny and withered after a long illness.)
- Cây cối trong vùng hạn hán trông tong teo hết. (The plants in the drought region all look dried up and withered.)
- Con chó bị bỏ rơi trông thật tong teo và tội nghiệp. (The abandoned dog looks so scrawny and pitiful.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "tong teo" is often used in a descriptive, sometimes slightly informal or colloquial context, to emphasize a pitiful or severe state of thinness. It can carry a tone of sympathy or blunt observation.
Variants and Related Words
- Teo tóp (adj): Shrivelled, wasted away. Often used similarly to describe something that has shrunk or dried up significantly.
- Bàn tay bị teo tóp vì bệnh. (The hand became shriveled due to illness.)
Synonyms
- Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony, often from suffering or age.
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
- Withered: Shriveled or dried up, often referring to plants or skin.
- Scrawny: Unattractively thin and bony.
Related Idioms
- While "tong teo" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used in vivid descriptive phrases to paint a strong image of extreme thinness or desiccation.