Definition

1. Noun:

   • Corpse; dead body: The physical body of a human or animal after death.
   • Body; physique (often large or clumsy): Refers to the physical body of a living person, sometimes implying a large, awkward, or unskilled frame.
   • Remains; residue; husk: The leftover, discarded, or outer shell of something after its essence has been used or removed (e.g., fruit pulp, shed skin).
   • Mere shell; hollow form: A state of being only an empty or impoverished form, lacking substance, vitality, or spirit.

2. Adjective:

   • Emaciated; very thin: Describes a state of being extremely skinny or gaunt.
   • Poor; destitute: Describes a state of extreme poverty, having nothing of substance.
   • Empty; worthless: Describes something that is only a hollow form, lacking real value or content.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Cảnh sát đã tìm thấy một cái xác trong rừng. (The police found a corpse in the forest.)
  • Anh ta là một gã to xác nhưng rất vụng về. (He is a big-bodied guy but very clumsy.)
  • Đừng vứt xác chè vào bồn rửa. (Don't throw the tea leaves residue into the sink.)
  • Công ty đó giờ chỉ còn là cái xác không hồn. (That company is now just a lifeless shell.)

• Adjective:

  • Sau trận ốm, anh ấy trông xác hẳn đi. (After the illness, he looks much more emaciated.)
  • Gia đình họ nghèo xác. (Their family is dirt poor.)
  • Những lời hứa xác của kẻ chính trị. (The empty promises of a politician.)

Advanced Usage

• "mặc xác": (verb phrase) to let someone be; to not care about what someone does.

  • Nó muốn đi thì mặc xác nó. (If he wants to go, let him be / that's his problem.)

• "lột xác": (verb phrase) to transform oneself completely; to shed one's old self (like a snake shedding its skin).

  • Cô ấy đã lột xác sau khóa học đó. (She completely transformed herself after that course.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xác chết (n): corpse, dead body (more explicit than "xác" alone).

  • Xác chết được đưa đến nhà xác. (The corpse was taken to the morgue.)

• Xác pháo (n): the red paper husk of a firecracker after it explodes.

  • Sân đầy xác pháo sau giao thừa. (The yard was full of firecracker husks after New Year's Eve.)

• Xác thịt (n): the flesh; the physical body (often in a carnal or mortal sense).

  • Con người không chỉ là xác thịt. (A human is not just flesh.)

Synonyms

• Corpse: dead body.
• Carcass: body of a dead animal.
• Remains: what is left.
• Husk: dry outer covering.
• Frame (for physique): physical structure of a body.

Related Idioms

• Xác như vờ / xác như tàu lá: (as) emaciated as a mayfly's shed skin / as a dry leaf; extremely thin and gaunt.

  • Bệnh tật khiến ông ấy xác như vờ. (The illness left him as thin as a rake.)

• Tan như xác pháo: to be completely shattered or dispersed (like firecracker husks).

  • Giấc mơ của họ tan như xác pháo. (Their dream was shattered to pieces.)

• Chỉ còn cái xác: to be exhausted; to be only a physical shell (from tiredness).

  • Làm việc 12 tiếng, tôi về nhà chỉ còn cái xác. (After working 12 hours, I came home completely drained.)

noun

1. corpse