tranh vanh
Definition
- Adjective:
- Precarious; unstable; unsteady; teetering: Describes an object, structure, or situation that is in a state of imbalance, likely to tip over or fall, often positioned on a narrow or insecure base.
- Perilous; risky: Can describe a figurative situation that is unstable, insecure, or fraught with danger.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Tảng đá tranh vanh trên sườn núi. (The rock is precarious on the mountainside.)
- Chiếc bàn tranh vanh sắp đổ. (The table is unsteady and about to fall.)
- Tình thế chính trị đang tranh vanh. (The political situation is perilous.)
Advanced Usage
- The word tranh vanh is considered a literary or somewhat archaic synonym for the more common modern word chênh vênh. Both convey the same core meaning of instability.
Variants and Related Words
- Chênh vênh (adj): precarious, unstable, teetering. This is the more frequently used modern equivalent.
- Cuộc sống của họ còn nhiều chênh vênh. (Their life is still very precarious.)
Synonyms
- Unstable: lacking stability or firmness.
- Precarious: dangerously lacking in security or stability.
- Teetering: balancing unsteadily; tottering.
- Rickety: poorly made and likely to collapse.
Related Idioms
- While there is no direct idiom using tranh vanh itself, the concept is central to idioms describing instability, such as:
- Trên bờ vực thẳm: on the brink of the abyss (describing an extremely perilous situation).
- Chông chênh: shaky, unsteady (often used for both physical and figurative instability).