trống trếnh
Definition
- Adjective:
- Bare, empty, or conspicuously vacant: Describes a space, room, or area that is noticeably lacking in furnishings, decorations, or people, creating a feeling of stark emptiness or exposure.
- Unprotected or exposed: Can describe a situation or structure that is open and lacking necessary cover, shelter, or security.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Căn phòng trống trếnh, chỉ có một chiếc ghế. (The room was bare, with only a single chair.)
- Ngôi nhà bỏ hoang trông thật trống trếnh và lạnh lẽo. (The abandoned house looked utterly empty and cold.)
- Cửa hàng mới khai trương nên vẫn còn trống trếnh hàng hóa. (The new store just opened so it is still conspicuously empty of goods.)
Advanced Usage
- Used to emphasize a lack that is visually obvious and often negative, suggesting discomfort, poverty, or incompleteness.
- Sau khi chuyển đi, căn hộ trở nên trống trếnh đến thảm hại. (After moving out, the apartment became pitifully bare.)
Variants and Related Words
Trống trơn (adj): Completely empty, stripped bare. Often interchangeable with "trống trếnh" but can imply a more total absence.
- Tài khoản ngân hàng trống trơn. (The bank account is completely empty.)
Trống vắng (adj): Empty and quiet, emphasizing a lack of people or activity, often with a lonely feeling.
- Con phố trống vắng lúc nửa đêm. (The street was deserted at midnight.)
Synonyms
- Bare: Lacking the usual or appropriate covering or contents.
- Empty: Containing nothing; not filled or occupied.
- Vacant: Not occupied; empty.
- Desolate: Bleakly and depressingly empty.
Related Idioms
- Trống trải: (Similar adjective) Often used for landscapes or feelings, meaning open, bare, or exposed (e.g., cánh đồng trống trải - a vast, open field; tâm hồn trống trải - an empty soul).
- While "trống trếnh" itself is not commonly used in fixed idioms, it conveys a similar starkness as the phrase "trơ trọi" (isolated and exposed).
- Ngọn núi đá trơ trọi giữa cánh đồng. (The rocky hill stood isolated in the middle of the field.)