tổ đỉa
Definition
Noun (Medical):
- Dyshidrosis / Dyshidrotic eczema: A specific skin condition characterized by the appearance of small, deep-seated, itchy blisters, typically on the palms of the hands, sides of the fingers, and soles of the feet. These blisters resemble the eggs of a water bug ("đỉa" means leech, used here metaphorically).
Adjective (Figurative, Colloquial):
- Extremely tattered, messy, or disorderly: Used to describe something (often clothing, a place, or a situation) that is in a state of complete disarray, torn up, or chaotic, akin to the messy appearance of a dyshidrosis blister or an old nest.
Usage Examples
Noun (Medical):
- Anh ấy được chẩn đoán mắc bệnh tổ đỉa. (He was diagnosed with dyshidrosis.)
- Các nốt tổ đỉa trên tay gây ngứa dữ dội. (The dyshidrotic blisters on the hand cause intense itching.)
Adjective (Figurative):
- Quần áo của nó rách như tổ đỉa. (His clothes are as tattered as can be.)
- Căn phòng trông như tổ đỉa sau bữa tiệc. (The room looked like a complete mess after the party.)
Advanced Usage
- The figurative usage is very common in everyday Vietnamese to emphasize a high degree of messiness or disrepair. It often appears in the simile "rách như tổ đỉa" (torn to shreds, literally "as torn as dyshidrosis").
Variants and Related Words
- Bệnh tổ đỉa (n): Dyshidrosis (the disease).
- Eczema tổ đỉa (n): Dyshidrotic eczema (a more clinical term).
Synonyms
- Medical: Dyshidrosis, pompholyx, dyshidrotic eczema.
- Figurative: Tattered, ragged, messy, disorderly, chaotic.
Related Idioms
- Rách như tổ đỉa: An idiom meaning "extremely torn/tattered" or, by extension, "in a complete mess."
- Chiếc áo cũ rách như tổ đỉa. (The old shirt is completely tattered.)