Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Weakly, sickly, frail: Describes a person, typically a child or infant, who is physically weak, delicate, or in a constant state of poor health, often leading to slow growth or development.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cháu nhỏ òi ọp nên chậm lớn. (The little baby is weakly and grows up slowly.)
  • Đứa trẻ trông hơi òi ọp vì mới ốm dậy. (The child looks somewhat frail because he just recovered from an illness.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "òi ọp" is almost exclusively used to describe the physical condition of young children or babies. It carries a connotation of pity or concern for the child's lack of robustness.

Variants and Related Words

• Ốm yếu (adj): sickly, weak. A more common and general synonym.
• Còi cọc (adj): stunted, undersized (often due to malnutrition or illness). This emphasizes lack of growth more than general frailty.

Synonyms

• Frail: physically weak and delicate.
• Sickly: often ill; in poor health.
• Debilitated: weakened, especially as a result of illness.

Related Idioms

• While "òi ọp" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it is conceptually related to expressions describing poor health in children, such as:
  • Ướt như chuột lột: soaked to the skin (literally "wet like a skinned rat"), sometimes used metaphorically to describe a pitiful, vulnerable state.

1. Weakly
   • Cháu nhỏ òi ọp nên chậm lớn
     the little baby is wealy and grows up slowly