vêu vao
Definition
- Adjective:
- Gaunt; haggard; drawn: Describes a face that appears thin, tired, and hollow, often due to exhaustion, illness, or prolonged stress. It emphasizes a lack of healthy fullness, with prominent cheekbones and sunken features.
- Emaciated; wasted: Can describe an extremely thin and weak physical state of the whole body, suggesting a loss of flesh and vitality.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau tuần làm việc căng thẳng, anh ấy trông mặt mũi vêu vao. (After a stressful work week, his face looked gaunt.)
- Cô ốm nặng, người vêu vao hẳn đi. (She was seriously ill, her body became emaciated.)
- Khuôn mặt vêu vao của người đàn ông lộ rõ sự mệt mỏi. (The man's haggard face clearly showed his fatigue.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "vêu vao" is often used in descriptive and literary contexts to evoke a strong visual image of physical decline or extreme tiredness. It is more expressive and vivid than the neutral word "gầy" (thin).
Variants and Related Words
- Héo hon (adj): Withered, languished; often used for plants but can be applied metaphorically to people, sharing a similar sense of decline with "vêu vao".
- Hốc hác (adj): Haggard, careworn; specifically describes a tired and sunken appearance of the face, very close in meaning to "vêu vao".
Synonyms
- Gaunt: Lean and haggard, especially from hunger or age.
- Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
- Drawn: (Of a face) looking tense and tired.
Related Idioms
- Mặt vêu như mặt nai tơ: (Face as drawn as a young deer's face) An idiomatic comparison emphasizing a thin, anxious, or frightened facial expression.
- Nghe tin dữ, mặt cô ấy vêu như mặt nai tơ. (Upon hearing the bad news, her face became as drawn as a young deer's.)