tơi tả
Definition
Adjective:
- Tattered and torn; in shreds: Describes something, typically fabric or material, that is severely ripped, frayed, or reduced to ragged pieces.
- Battered and shattered; utterly devastated: Describes a state of complete physical or metaphorical ruin, often due to a violent force or intense experience.
Adverb:
- In a tattered and devastated manner: Used to modify a verb, describing an action that results in or occurs with a state of being torn apart or thoroughly beaten.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau cơn bão, những lá cờ bay phấp phới trở nên tơi tả. (After the storm, the fluttering flags became tattered and torn.)
- Đội bóng thua một trận đấu tơi tả. (The soccer team suffered a devastating defeat.)
- Adverb:
- Chiếc ô bị gió thổi tơi tả. (The umbrella was blown to shreds by the wind.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used for dramatic emphasis to convey extreme damage or defeat. It is more intense than simply "rách" (torn).
- Commonly paired with verbs indicating destruction, such as "bị đánh" (to be beaten/hit) or "bị thổi" (to be blown).
Variants and Related Words
- Tả tơi: A direct synonym with identical meaning and usage.
- Tinh thần anh ấy tan tả tơi sau sự kiện đó. (His spirit was shattered after that event.)
Synonyms
- Tattered: worn and torn into shreds.
- Shredded: torn or cut into ragged strips.
- Devastated: completely destroyed or ruined.
- Shattered: broken violently into pieces; utterly defeated.
Related Idioms
- Thua tơi tả: to be thoroughly defeated.
- Đối thủ yếu hơn nên họ đã thua tơi tả. (They were the weaker opponent, so they lost decisively.)
- Nát tơi tả: to be smashed to pieces.
- Chiếc bình rơi xuống đất và vỡ nát tơi tả. (The vase fell to the ground and shattered into smithereens.)