ốm nhom
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely thin, skinny, gaunt: Describes a person or animal who is excessively thin, often to the point where bones are prominent. It implies a state of being underweight and frail.
- As thin as a lath/rake: An idiomatic comparison emphasizing extreme thinness.
Usage
- Adjective:
- This word is used to describe a physical state. It often carries a stronger, more vivid, and sometimes more informal or dialectal connotation than the simple word "ốm" (sick/thin) or "gầy" (thin).
- It is frequently used in the intensified form "ốm nhom ốm nhách" to mean "extremely and pitifully thin."
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau trận ốm, anh ấy trông ốm nhom hẳn đi. (After the illness, he looks extremely thin.)
- Con mèo hoang đó ốm nhom, chỉ còn da bọc xương. (That stray cat is skin and bones, just skin and bones.)
- Đừng có ăn kiêng quá mà thành ốm nhom ốm nhách. (Don't diet too much or you'll become terribly gaunt.)
Advanced Usage
- "ốm nhom ốm nhách": This is a common reduplicative phrase used for emphasis. "Nhách" adds a sense of being scrawny, lanky, or pitifully thin, making the overall meaning stronger than "ốm nhom" alone.
- Cậu bé bị bỏ rơi trông ốm nhom ốm nhách, thật tội nghiệp. (The abandoned boy looks painfully thin and scrawny, so pitiful.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ốm (adj): Can mean "sick" or "thin."
- Gầy (adj): Thin, slim (can be neutral or negative).
- Gầy gò (adj): Thin and bony, gaunt.
- Cò hương (adj, idiomatic): Literally "incense stick," meaning very thin and tall.
- Nhom nhem (adj, dialectal): Often describes something dirty or grimy, but in some contexts can relate to a sickly, thin appearance.
Synonyms
- Gầy đét (adj): Very thin.
- Gầy tong (adj): Skinny, scrawny.
- Chỉ còn da bọc xương (idiom): Nothing but skin and bones.
Related Idioms
- Ốm như con ma/Gầy như con ma: As thin as a ghost.
- Gầy như cái que: As thin as a stick.
- Ốm nhom như cây sào: As thin as a pole.
- Thin as a lath
- ốm nhom ốm nhách như ốm nhom (ý mạnh hơn)