xương xương
Definition
- Adjective:
- Somewhat bony / lean: Describes a person or body part that is thin to the point where the bones are slightly prominent or visible under the skin, but not excessively so. It implies a slender, slightly angular build.
- Sparse / scanty: Used to describe something, like vegetation or hair, that is thin, not dense, or barely covering a surface.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cô ấy hơi xương xương nhưng rất khỏe mạnh. (She is somewhat bony but very healthy.)
- Cánh tay anh ta xương xương. (His arm is lean.)
- Mảnh vườn phía sau chỉ có vài bụi cây xương xương. (The backyard garden has only a few sparse bushes.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is a reduplicative form (lặp từ) of "xương" (bone). The repetition softens the meaning from "bony" to "somewhat bony" or gives a descriptive, evocative quality.
Variants and Related Words
- Xương (n): bone.
- gãy xương (to break a bone)
- Xương xẩu (adj): very bony, gaunt. This is stronger and more negative than "xương xương."
Synonyms
- Lean: having little fat; thin and fit.
- Spare: thin with no excess fat.
- Gaunt (stronger synonym): lean and haggard.
- Sparse: thinly dispersed or scattered.
Related Idioms
- While "xương xương" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it descriptively contributes to phrases about thinness or scarcity.
- dáng người xương xương (a lean figure)
- tóc xương xương (thin, sparse hair)