võ vàng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Haggard; gaunt; drawn: Describes a face or appearance that looks very thin, tired, and pale due to illness, exhaustion, worry, or suffering. It emphasizes a visible decline from a healthier state.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm, khuôn mặt cô ấy trông thật võ vàng. (After the illness, her face looked very haggard.)
- Những đêm thức trắng lo lắng khiến anh ấy có vẻ võ vàng. (Sleepless nights of worry made him appear gaunt.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used to describe a person's face or overall physical appearance, conveying a sense of pity or concern for their visibly deteriorated condition.
Variants and Related Words
- Tiều tụy (adj): Worn-out, haggard (often with a stronger connotation of being broken down or devastated).
- Hốc hác (adj): Hollow-cheeked, sunken (specifically emphasizing sunken eyes or cheeks).
Synonyms
- Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell.
- Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony, often from hunger or age.
- Drawn: Looking tense and tired.
- Wan: Pale and giving an impression of illness or exhaustion.
Related Idioms
- While "võ vàng" itself is not typically part of a common idiom, it is often used in descriptive phrases that paint a vivid picture of physical decline due to hardship.