yếu ớt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Physically weak or frail: Describes a person, animal, or plant lacking physical strength, robustness, or vitality.
- Weak in intensity or power: Describes something abstract—such as an argument, signal, light, sound, or influence—that lacks force, conviction, or effectiveness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sức khỏe của cậu bé trông rất yếu ớt. (The boy's health looks very frail.)
- Ánh sáng từ ngọn nến thật yếu ớt. (The light from the candle is very faint.)
- Lập luận của họ quá yếu ớt để thuyết phục ai. (Their argument is too weak to convince anyone.)
Advanced Usage
- Used to describe abstract concepts like hope, faith, or resistance being tenuous or feeble.
- Niềm hy vọng yếu ớt cuối cùng cũng tắt. (The last feeble hope finally died out.)
Variants and Related Words
- Yếu (adj): Weak; the core root, often used independently and can imply weakness in various contexts (physical, structural, positional).
- Ốm yếu (adj): Sickly and weak; specifically emphasizes weakness due to illness or poor health.
Synonyms
- Frail: Fragile and lacking in strength, especially physical.
- Feeble: Pathetically weak, lacking strength or effectiveness.
- Faint: Barely perceptible, lacking brightness or loudness.
- Weak: The most general synonym, lacking power.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Chỗ dựa yếu ớt: A weak/frail support.
- Lời hứa đó chỉ là một chỗ dựa yếu ớt. (That promise is just a frail support.)
- Sức kháng cự yếu ớt: Feeble resistance.
- Thành trì thất thủ sau sức kháng cự yếu ớt. (The fortress fell after feeble resistance.)