trơ khấc
Definition
- Adjective:
- Empty-handed; with nothing to show for one's effort: Describes the state of having gained or achieved nothing after a period of hope, expectation, or effort.
- Alone; utterly solitary: Describes a state of being left completely by oneself, often emphasizing a sense of abandonment or isolation.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Hy vọng mãi, rút cục trơ khấc chẳng có gì. (I hoped for so long, but in the end, I was left empty-handed with nothing.)
- Mọi người đều đi, để trơ khấc một mình nó. (Everyone left, leaving him utterly alone.)
- Nó chạy chọt mãi nhưng về vẫn trơ khấc. (He pulled strings everywhere but still came back with nothing to show for it.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "trơ khấc" is often used in informal or colloquial contexts to express disappointment or a poignant sense of solitude resulting from unfulfilled expectations or abandonment.
Variants and Related Words
- Trơ trọi (adj): bare, isolated, exposed. Often describes something standing alone and conspicuous in its emptiness.
- Căn nhà trơ trọi giữa cánh đồng. (The house stood bare and isolated in the middle of the field.)
Synonyms
- Empty-handed: having received or gained nothing.
- Bereft: deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material asset.
- Solitary: alone; without companions.
Related Idioms
- Trắng tay: to be left with empty hands; to lose everything.
- Sau vụ đầu tư thất bại, anh ta trắng tay. (After the failed investment, he was left with nothing.)
- Cô đơn lẻ loi: lonely and solitary.
- Cụ già sống cô đơn lẻ loi trong ngôi nhà nhỏ. (The old man lived a lonely and solitary life in the small house.)