vàng vọt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Sickly pale; sallow; wan: Describes a complexion that is unnaturally pale, often with a yellowish or grayish tinge, typically due to illness, fatigue, or poor health. It implies a lack of healthy, rosy color.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm, mặt cô ấy trông vàng vọt. (After the illness, her face looked sickly pale.)
- Anh ấy có làn da vàng vọt vì làm việc quá sức. (He has a sallow complexion from overwork.)
- Đứa trẻ sốt cao, nước da vàng vọt. (The child had a high fever and a wan complexion.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a vivid image of poor health or vitality. It is stronger than simply "pale" () and carries connotations of sickness and debilitation.
Variants and Related Words
- Vàng bệch (adj): ashen, pallid. Another term for an extremely pale, unhealthy complexion.
- Xanh xao (adj): pale and sickly, often with a greenish or bluish undertone. While similar, and describe different hues of unhealthy pallor.
Synonyms
- Sallow: (of a person's face or complexion) of a yellowish, unhealthy color.
- Wan: (of a person's complexion or appearance) pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.
- Pallid: (of a person's face) pale, typically because of poor health.
Related Idioms
- While itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in descriptive phrases about health and appearance, such as (face looking sallow) or (a person with a wan complexion).