vạm vỡ
Definition
- Adjective:
- Sturdy and well-built: Describes a person, typically male, who has a large, strong, and solid physical frame with substantial muscle and bone structure. It implies robust health and physical power.
- Husky / brawny: Conveys a sense of impressive, solid physique, often associated with strength and manual labor.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Anh thanh niên nông dân đó có thân hình vạm vỡ. (That young farmer has a sturdy, well-built body.)
- Các vận động viên cử tạ thường rất vạm vỡ. (Weightlifters are often very husky.)
- Ông ấy tuy đã lớn tuổi nhưng vẫn còn vạm vỡ lắm. (Although he is old, he is still very robust.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used to describe the human body, emphasizing a desirable, powerful physicality. It is a positive term, suggesting health and strength rather than mere overweight.
Variants and Related Words
Lực lưỡng (adj): burly, strong, and muscular. Often used similarly to "vạm vỡ."
- Anh bảo vệ có vẻ ngoài lực lưỡng. (The guard has a burly appearance.)
Cường tráng (adj): robust, vigorous, and in prime physical condition.
- Một thể chất cường tráng. (A robust physique.)
Synonyms
- Sturdy: Strongly and solidly built.
- Brawny: Physically strong with well-developed muscles.
- Burly: Large and strong in a somewhat rough way.
- Robust: Strong and healthy.
Related Idioms
- Vai năm tấc rộng, thân mười thước cao: An idiom describing an ideal, heroic, and immensely strong physique. While not containing "vạm vỡ," it describes a similar concept of magnificent physical build.
- Chàng dũng sĩ trong truyện cổ tích có "vai năm tấc rộng, thân mười thước cao". (The hero in the fairy tale had "shoulders five inches broad, a body ten feet tall.")