Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To sift for jade / to pan for jade: The literal meaning refers to the process of washing and sorting through gravel or sand in search of raw jade or precious stones.
   • To seek talent / to recognize true worth: The figurative and most common meaning describes the act of carefully searching for, identifying, and valuing talented or virtuous individuals, often from within a larger, unrefined group.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning:
  • Người thợ mỏ đang đãi ngọc bên bờ sông. (The miner is panning for jade by the riverbank.)
• Figurative meaning:
  • Công ty này có chính sách đãi ngọc rất tốt để tìm nhân tài. (This company has an excellent policy for seeking out talent.)
  • Người thầy giỏi là người biết đãi ngọc trong học trò. (A good teacher is one who knows how to recognize the gem among students.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in formal or literary contexts related to human resources, education, and leadership to emphasize a careful, discerning, and appreciative approach to finding valuable people.

Variants and Related Words

• Đãi vàng (v): to pan for gold. Can be used both literally and figuratively similarly to "đãi ngọc".
  • Họ vào rừng để đãi vàng. (They went into the forest to pan for gold.)

Synonyms

• To scout for talent: to look for people with specific abilities.
• To seek out gems (figurative): to search for exceptional individuals.
• To pan for gold (figurative): to search for something valuable.

Related Idioms

• Đãi cát tìm vàng: Literally "to sift sand to find gold". This idiom is nearly identical in figurative meaning to "đãi ngọc", emphasizing the effort of searching for something precious within a large amount of ordinary material.
  • Công việc của nhà tuyển dụng đôi khi giống như đãi cát tìm vàng. (The recruiter's job is sometimes like panning for gold.)