Definition

1. Verb:
   • To droop limply or to sag weakly: Describes something, typically a body part like an arm or hand, falling or hanging down in a soft, loose, and lifeless manner due to lack of strength, support, or energy.
   • To fall slackly: Indicates a collapse or descent that is not rigid or sudden, but rather soft and flaccid.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai tay xụi xuống. (Both arms drooped limply.)
  • Đứa bé mệt quá, đầu xụi xuống vai mẹ. (The child was so tired, its head sagged weakly onto its mother's shoulder.)
  • Cành cây xụi xuống sau trận bão. (The tree branch hung down slackly after the storm.)

Advanced Usage

• "xụi xịu": An intensified or reduplicative form emphasizing a state of being dejected, drooping, or sagging, often used for facial expressions or posture.
  • Mặt nó xụi xịu khi nghe tin buồn. (His face fell into a dejected droop upon hearing the sad news.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xụi xuống (verb phrase): to droop down, to sag down. This is the most common collocation.
  • Đôi vai anh ấy xụi xuống vì thất vọng. (His shoulders sagged down in disappointment.)

Synonyms

• Droop: to bend or hang downward limply.
• Sag: to sink or bend downward under weight or pressure.
• Limp: lacking stiffness; hanging loosely.

Notes on Usage

• Register: The word "xụi" is primarily dialectal and colloquial. It is not commonly used in formal written Vietnamese.
• Typical Context: It is most frequently used to describe the physical posture of humans or animals (e.g., tired limbs, dejected posture) or, by extension, flexible objects that lose their tension.
• Grammar: Almost always used with the directional complement "xuống" (down) as in "xụi xuống".