xơ xác
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Denuded, bare: Describes trees, plants, or landscapes that have lost their leaves, foliage, or covering, appearing stripped and bleak.
- Dilapidated, tattered: Refers to objects, especially clothing or buildings, that are worn out, ragged, and in a state of disrepair.
- Destitute, impoverished: Describes a person, family, or their condition as being extremely poor, lacking in material possessions, and reduced to a state of want.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau cơn bão, khu vườn trở nên xơ xác. (After the storm, the garden became denuded and bare.)
- Anh ta mặc một chiếc áo xơ xác. (He was wearing a tattered shirt.)
- Họ sống trong một căn nhà xơ xác. (They live in a dilapidated house.)
- Chiến tranh khiến nhiều gia đình xơ xác. (The war left many families destitute.)
Advanced Usage
- The adjective xơ xác is often used to intensify a state of ruin or poverty. It conveys a stronger, more visual, and more pitiful image than synonyms like "nghèo" (poor) or "cũ" (old).
- It can be used metaphorically to describe abstract concepts that are "stripped bare" or "in ruins," such as hopes or plans.
Variants and Related Words
Nghèo xơ xác (adj phrase): Extremely poor, destitute.
- Người đàn ông nghèo xơ xác ấy vẫn giữ được phẩm giá. (That destitute man still maintained his dignity.)
Tiêu điều xơ xác (adj phrase): Desolate and bleak (often for landscapes).
- Vùng quê tiêu điều xơ xác sau mùa đông khắc nghiệt. (The countryside was desolate and bleak after the harsh winter.)
Synonyms
- Denuded: stripped of covering.
- Tattered: torn and ragged.
- Dilapidated: in a state of disrepair.
- Destitute: extremely poor, lacking necessities.
- Bleak: bare, exposed, and desolate.
Related Idioms
- Xơ xác như ma đói: As ragged/wretched as a starving ghost. This idiom emphasizes extreme destitution and a pitiful physical appearance.
- Sau trận lũ, dân làng trông xơ xác như ma đói. (After the flood, the villagers looked as wretched as starving ghosts.)