Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Sagging, drooping, or slouching: Describes something that hangs down loosely or collapses inward due to lack of support, tension, or firm structure. Often used for fabrics, soft materials, or postures.
   • Slumped or sunken (in posture): Describes a person sitting or standing in a very relaxed, careless, or weary manner, with the body collapsed into a position that lacks energy and form.

2. Adverb:

   • In a sagging or slumped manner: Describes the action of sitting, standing, or hanging in a loose, drooping way.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Chiếc ghế sofa cũ đã xềm xệp xuống. (The old sofa had sagged down.)
  • Cô ấy ngồi xềm xệp trên ghế sau một ngày dài. (She sat slumped in the chair after a long day.)
• Adverb:
  • Tấm vải treo xềm xệp trên dây phơi. (The cloth hung limply on the clothesline.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a connotation of being worn out, tired, or lacking vitality, applying to both objects and people's demeanor.
• It can describe the visual effect of something that was once taut or full but has now lost its shape.

Variants and Related Words

• Xệp (adj): Collapsed, flat (often used for deflated tires or flat objects). It shares the core idea of losing firmness and shape with .

Synonyms

• Sagging: Drooping or sinking downward.
• Slouching: Sitting, standing, or moving in a lazy, drooping way.
• Droopy: Hanging down limply.
• Limp: Lacking stiffness or firmness.

Related Idioms

• While itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its meaning is central to describing scenes of tiredness or neglect, e.g., "" (to sit slumped for the whole afternoon).