treo mỏ
Definition
- Verb (idiomatic, colloquial):
- To go hungry; to be forced to go without food. This phrase describes a state of having no food to eat, often due to poverty, lack of work, or self-imposed abstinence.
- To be on a forced fast; to have nothing to eat. It implies a situation where one's mouth or beak ("mỏ") is metaphorically hung up ("treo"), rendering it inactive because there is no food.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Công việc thất nghiệp, cả tuần nay anh ta phải treo mỏ. (He's been out of work, so he's had to go hungry all week.)
- Nếu không đi chợ, tối nay cả nhà sẽ treo mỏ. (If we don't go to the market, the whole family will have nothing to eat tonight.)
- Hết tiền rồi, chắc phải treo mỏ vài bữa vậy. (I'm out of money; I guess I'll have to fast for a few meals.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is informal and vivid, often carrying a tone of resignation or mild self-deprecation about one's unfortunate situation. It is not typically used for voluntary dieting or religious fasting.
Variants and Related Words
- Treo mõm: An older or variant form with the same meaning ("mõm" meaning animal snout or mouth).
- Thất nghiệp dài ngày, cả gia đình treo mõm. (Being unemployed for a long time, the whole family went hungry.)
Synonyms
- To starve: to suffer or die from hunger.
- To go without food: to not have any food to eat.
- To fast involuntarily: to be forced to abstain from eating.
Related Idioms
- Ăn bữa hôm lo bữa nay / Ăn bữa sáng lo bữa tối: To live hand-to-mouth. This describes a precarious life similar to one that could lead to "treo mỏ."
- Cuộc sống của họ kiểu ăn bữa sáng lo bữa tối, có khi lại treo mỏ. (Their life is a hand-to-mouth existence; sometimes they even go hungry.)